Nindo: Sirocco
by Aiddon Raziel Valentine
Summary: After three years, Naruto returns to Konoha. However, he is not the only one who is returning to the world. The Akatsuki have been waiting for a long time. And they will not wait one second longer...AU, OCs
1. Prologue

Prologue

_Long ago_

_When the world was young_

_There lived ten beasts_

_Bound by none_

_They lived peacefully_

_And happily_

_But one day_

_They were leashed_

_And so did much suffering begin_

XXXXX

Three years. It was only two words, but to live it was very long indeed. As much as he hated it, Itachi was forced to wait. His heart boiled, anxious and uneasy.

Every day dragged, feeling like an eternity. Missions went well, Itachi and his colleagues being given them far more frequently than they had been in the past. New members joined; some for personal interests, others for philosophical ones, and a few sick individuals for more…base desires. It didn't matter though, because the leader always said the same thing to every new recruit:

"_Come with me, and I shall grant you your deepest desire."_

Where was his though? Seven years Itachi had been with them and his wish, simple as it was, still lay unfulfilled. Even after the first Beast fell to Hidan and Kakuzu and the second to Shuu and Zetsu. Their plans had been moving forward quicker than ever. And yet Itachi's own stood still. He waited. And then, one day, they were called once more.

"Fuck, the hell's the boss doing callin' us up outta the blue like this?" Hidan dejectedly sharpened that imposing scythe of his.

"Oh shut it, hm. You probably weren't doing anything worthwhile anyway, hm."

"Don't test me, you little shit!"

The air crackled with enmity, Deidara's hand straying to his pouch. Itachi sighed. Meeting like this in person was always so problematic. Something heavy slammed into the floor, the ground cracking.

"Enough, the both of you." The perpetrator said, her voice echoing. "As much as I'd like to stretch my legs, I prefer it not be because of men dealing with their testosterone issues."

"Seconded, there are other matters at hand."

That low, throaty growl emanated from the middle of the dark room. Eyes, solemnly burning, cut into everyone who saw them. The meeting had begun.

"I believe you two have been doing most of the legwork lately." The leader glanced to the right to a pair of silhouettes. "What have you found?"

"The Nine-Tails boy is returning home. He was at Miikedo Pass last we heard." The voice was light and airy, unsettlingly deliberate.

"And the others?"

"The Two and Seven are still eluding us. As for Eight…"

"Yes, he will be most troublesome. What about Six and Five?" Those piercing eyes glanced above.

"We know Six's identity, but they're refusing to stay in one spot for long." This voice was irritated, Itachi practically hearing her nibbling her nails. "As for Five, they dropped off the face of the world after we tracked them for two weeks. I'm still trying to figure that out."

"So five positively identified and two remain enigmas. It is progress."

"But is it enough?" Itachi asked, breaking the silence he had held up until now.

Red met violet. This was not the first time they had done this.

"Itachi, we have been over this. You will get what you want."

Always the same reassurance from him; how utterly tedious, Itachi thought.

"As for the situation, I believe we have enough information to act accordingly. Sasori, Deidara, Shuu, you will lead the next operation. Kisame, Itachi, you are on backup should it be needed."

"Hehehe, I was waiting for ya to say that, hm. It's been awhile since Master Sasori and I got to compare styles, hm."

"You'd better have learned a few new tricks, Deidara."

"A good artist always does, hm. I'll give ya the show of a lifetime."

That anxiety inside Itachi was building, though now for completely different reasons. For the first time in three years the world felt like it was moving again.

"Itachi."

Those words stopped him just as he was going to leave. Once again he looked into his superior's eyes, the only things in the world that could unsettle him. Just the two of them now, left alone in the underground chamber. Whenever the leader wanted someone's attention it was important.

"Yes, sir?"

"How are your eyes?"

"Fine. I've not been in a situation where the Sankishin are necessary for quite some time."

"Good. We need you and he Sharingan for our plans. Don't let them go to waste, especially on your little…_projects_."

He couldn't miss that tone of contempt in the leader's voice.

"Sir, I believe we had a deal."

"And we still do, Itachi. But, we are both obligated to fulfill our ends of it. And yours is quite the special case."

"What do you want me to say, Pain-san?"

"I need your word that your actions and your desires will not interfere with the goal of Akatsuki."

"Interfere?" Pain dared to ask that of Itachi? He who slaughtered his own clan to prove his worth? Who risked his life time and time again for the Akatsuki? How many times had he proven his loyalty, his conviction? And he was the one being asked this?

Itachi glared slightly, tempted to use his Mangekyou for the first time in months. No, he had to tolerate it. After all, this was his only way, his only avenue to achieve his wish. He reverted his eyes to their natural, black state. And he gave Pain what he wanted to hear.

"No, Pain-san, they will not."

"And should your brother interfere…?"

Sasuke, always so problematic. The brother he spared, the one he set on the path years ago. The one-in-a-thousand chance of him and the Kyuubi boy being so intricately connected. He saw what Pain was asking about. The most difficult of choices, one he must make now. If Sasuke were to become a problem…

"Then I shall make him _beg_ for death."

XXXXX

Post chapter notes: So, a lot of you are probably thinking "what the hell is this?" Well, like many people who got into manga over the past decade, one of the first I really got invested in was Naruto. And, like a lot of people who got invested,…I just kinda stopped reading after awhile. However, the recent ending to the series and the release of the final movie has gotten me interested again because another thing Naruto got me into was writing. About ten years ago I made one of my first fanfiction in the form of "Nindo" about where I thought the series was going (at the time of beginning it the series was in the middle of the Rescue Sasuke arc). I never finished it, perhaps due to things coming up or just interest dwindling. I wish I still had the old manuscripts and drafts (having lost them with switching computers over the years) because there were some things in it I found intriguing when comparing it to how the series went canonically (I might bring up a thing or two in author's notes when I find it relevant to talk about).

So, anyway, this is essentially my attempt at doing a remake of that story I left unfinished. There will be a LOT of breaks from canon; there will be a lot of threads either changed or dropped and new ones brought up. New characters will be introduced, old ones might be dropped (though I will try to incorporate as many of the established cast as I can) and established ones might have different arcs and or characterization. As for structure, this will be done on a sort of series basis. Sirocco is essentially the first volume of a light novel series or the first season of a TV show. When this is done a sequel will pop up and we'll continue the funsies. So, with all that out of the way, I welcome you to my series, Nindo.


	2. Scroll 1

Scroll One: Homecoming

It was the middle of summer, the sun high in the sky with its heat bearing down on the earth with total abandon. The cicadas were blaring with their raucous song to make sure no moment was without noise. Beneath that scorching sun and among the blazing heat, two figures walked down the main road toward Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves.

"Bluuuuugh, we really should have gone through the woods." A blond youth clad in orange complained, looking positively drained from the humidity.

"Yeah and then we'd be stumbling through brush, thorns, maybe having to deal with some nasty poisonous flowers, and then avoiding a predator or two. Oh, and don't forget the heat doesn't vanish just because we'd be in the shade." His companion, an old man with spiny, white hair, rolled his eyes.

"Still, I'd prefer it to cooking out here like yakitori. Why didn't we wait until the fall?"

"Kid, this is a helluva lot easier than some of the stuff we did. Besides, I thought you'd wanna get back as soon as possible."

"Yeah, Teuchi-san has probably been crying his eyes out since I left."

"The first damn thing you think about is ramen…"

The old man couldn't help but grin. Some things about his apprentice never changed.

After a couple hours an immense wall loomed over the horizon, casting a huge shadow over the road. Naruto gave a foxy grin and said at the top of his lungs.

"I'M BAAAAAAAACK!"

Despite his sore feet and aching legs, Naruto couldn't help but run right into Konoha's busy streets like he had years before. It was exactly as it was before, every shop, every house, nothing had changed since he left. He really was home.

Where to start though? Who should he go see first? Maybe Sakura-chan or Kakashi-sensei, though Tsunade was fine. Then there was the problem of which stories to tell. Jiraiya had taken him from one end of the continent to the other. Maybe he should talk about camping out in the mangroves at the Land of the Waves, seeing the monks at Fuyukakuji, listening to all sorts of stories about the wolf god in the Land of Iron, or just how many ramen shops he'd been to. Starting off small was probably for the best.

Naruto leapt up to a nearby water tower, going as high as he could in order to get a good view. He breathed in the city air, certain he could sniff out Ichiraku without trouble. He gazed upon his home again and saw the Hokage Monument…which had a new addition to its roster.

"Ha, so they added Tsunade's ugly old mug?" He snickered.

"Just finished it up six months ago. There was a big ceremony and everything."

Naruto turned to the muffled voice, seeing a masked face and a shock of messy, silver hair sticking up.

"I was wondering when I'd find you, Sensei."

"Well, Naruto, you're not the stealthiest. I heard you at the front gate."

"Hehe, gotta make an impression! Oh yeah, Jiraiya said you could have this."

Naruto produced something from his pocket, revealing a paperback volume. It was brand new, like it was fresh off the printing press.

"Th-this…!" Kakashi's single eye looked ready to bulge out of its socket.

"Yeah, the old man finally got it done a few weeks ago. I didn't really find it interesting, but I know you like 'em."

"Kid, how about you start reading more before knockin' on fine literature?" Jiraiya ground his knuckles into the top of Naruto's head.

"I read plenty! And will you stop doing that every time you get pissed off?"

"Then stop irritating me."

Naruto went off down the street towards Ichiraku, his stomach growling just from the scents of cuisine floating everywhere. Kakashi, engrossed as he was in _Icha Icha Tactics_, looked to Jiraiya.

"As promised, your student is now returned, Kakashi."

"Still the same old Naruto. He didn't tell me anything about his training in letters or when he called."

"Sorry, master's orders. Couldn't let anything secret get through."

"And the Akatsuki?"

Jiraiya's face turned grim. He had been hearing rumors about the Akatsuki more often lately. He didn't know what it was, but something set them off. In the last year alone they'd been moving more, showing themselves in the underworld frequently for something or another, be it information, supplies, or money. Worst of all though, they were growing.

"Do you think it's going to happen again, Jiraiya? Are we on the verge of another war?" Kakashi had lost enough in war. And so had Jiraiya.

"Maybe, but not as long as the Tailed Beasts are kept safe."

XXXXX

Ichiraku was easy to sniff out for Naruto. He'd been to a lot of ramen shops and stalls over the past few years, but none of them would ever compare to the one he'd frequented ever since his pre-academy years. What he didn't expect was that it had gotten bigger.

"Huh, looks like Teuchi-san is moving up in the world."

Instead of a big stall it was now a decent-sized shop. Not especially fancy, but a lot more extravagant than what Naruto had been to every day in his childhood. He stepped inside, the smell of cuisine wafting into his nose, making him salivate.

It was very busy, customers at booths enjoying their meal sets or sipping sake. The chatter filled the air as people went on about their day or funny stories. Waitresses took orders and delivered meals.

"Welcome s-" Someone said before cutting themselves off. Naruto turned to see a pretty brunette with a bandanna around her head. She was downright shocked.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Been awhile, hasn't it, Ayame-san?" Naruto grinned.

"Dad, Dad! We got someone special! Get out here!" She called to the back. "Come on, I'll get ya a seat."

Naruto's stomach grumbled. Man, everything in here smelled good. Ayame hadn't changed much, her hair getting a bit longer, but she was as sweet and pretty as ever.

"Ayame what in tarnation is…" Another familiar voice "Well I'll be, if it ain't my favorite customer."

Teuchi gave Naruto a hearty slap on the arm, his old face giving a smile Naruto had missed. Naruto grinned back.

"Man, you sure have renovated the place, old timer."

"Damn straight, business has been good for awhile. Still, been lonely without ya, kid."

"Yeah, Dad was practically crying his eyes out with how much money he lost with you."

"Well, expect me to be frequenting again."

"Ya damn well better. Now, just sit here and let me whip up something special for your homecoming."

Teuchi gave Naruto a booth on the second floor next to the window. It was odd sitting on tatami mats as opposed to the chairs outside. Still, it was a nice view of the Hokage Monument. The sun was hitting the Hokages' faces right about now.

"Is this seat taken?" Someone next to him asked.

"Not at all."

"Thanks, Naruto."

His head snapped to the new arrival, seeing a pretty, pink-haired girl in red. And if he said anything about her forehead she'd slap him silly. Sakura had changed a bit, getting taller and leaner and she had a mark on her forehead like Tsunade now.

"First thing you do is hit up this place." She frowned. "Did you ever think of heading to Master's office to come and see me?"

"Hehe, sorry, I haven't had anything decent all day. The old man and I were on the road since we got up this morning."

"Alright, I'll forgive you this once. It is your homecoming, so today's on me."

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" Ayame swung by. "I was wondering if you'd drop by today."

"Unagi and roast black tea, Ayame-san. Oh, and some anmitsu, if you can."

"You got it, Dad's almost done with Naruto's order."

"You seem to have made yourself familiar."

"Well, I dropped by from time to time after training to let them know how you were. Speaking of which, I haven't heard anything from you for three weeks. What were you and Jiraiya-san up to?"

"Oh, this and that. I was forbidden from communicating for awhile since he was getting into some really complex stuff he couldn't tell anyone."

"So, I get to hear about your three-month misadventures with a pervy monk, the time you finally had a ramen bowl so bad you couldn't finish it, and the time you got chased by wild tigers and honey badgers, but I don't get to hear about your training?"

"Yeah, Iga-senpai was way too much fun. Wish we could have spent more time at Fuyukakuji."

"Got your grub!"

Ayame came carrying Sakura's eel and giving Naruto the biggest bowl of miso ramen he'd ever seen. She and Sakura gave him a warm smile.

"Welcome home."

They ate, Naruto greedily slurping down the hot ramen he had been given. Man, even after eating at little stalls and gourmet restaurants all over the place, nothing could ever compare to those special seasonings Teuchi put into his stuff.

He and Sakura talked about the last few years apart. She's done quite well with her training, Tsunade saying she might be on par with Shizune by now. Unlike Naruto her training involved very little traveling, though she went with the old hag on occasion whenever the situation called for it.

"Aaaaah, that hit the spot."

"Well, you're welcome. I'm not paying for ya every day, y'know."

"Maybe I'll treat you next time."

Ayame and Teuchi saw them out, saying they hoped to see them again soon. Despite Naruto's inclination to go running around the city to get his bearings again and see how his old classmates were doing, Sakura forced him to head to the Hokage's office.

"Master has been telling me training isn't the only thing you and Jiraiya were up to."

"Yeah, sometimes he'd drag me along for info-gathering, something about getting my recon skills sharpened. I've been to a lot of crappy bars and shops, I'll tell ya that."

"So you must have heard a lot about criminals and such."

"Not to brag, but I can hold my own." He was a bit too proud of that.

"And…Sasuke-kun?"

Her green eyes looked at him, like she was a hurt puppy. Truth be told, Naruto had been hoping to avoid that conversation. He couldn't even remember the last time he mentioned Sasuke's name, Jiraiya disliking Naruto bringing up the subject. Even Naruto didn't like to talk about it.

For the first few months of training he'd been really angry at Sasuke, in fact he still was. Whenever he remembered that idiot's face with it came Sakura the day of the retrieval operation, bawling her eyes out as she begged Naruto to bring him back. And then Chouji emaciated to his bones, Neji with a hole the size of a fist in his shoulder, Kiba and Akamaru half-dead, the entire thing would have gone from just a failure to an outright disaster if they hadn't gotten lucky with the backup they got at the last minute.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan, I'm just as in the dark as you are." He couldn't lie to her. He wanted to be soft and nice, but he couldn't do that to her.

"Jiraiya has told you nothing?"

"I don't think he really cares. He might have just been so focused on my training that he couldn't. And to be honest, I didn't _want_ to think about Sasuke for awhile. I mean, he broke your heart, right?"

"Yeah, he did, didn't he?" Oh crap, she looked like she was about to cry.

"Sakura-chan, I…"

"It's alright. Let's just drop it for now, I'm fine."

What a load of shit. She wasn't fine. She became that old hag's apprentice precisely because she wasn't fine. Just how many tears did she shed over these past few years? Man, he was even more pissed off now.

"Hey, Sakura-chan."

"Yeah?"

"When I was hoppin' around, one of the guys the old man and me met told me something."

"What was it?"

"That guys shouldn't make girls cry. And if they do, you kick their ass and make them beg for forgiveness."

Sakura looked him in the eyes, shocked that he would say something like that. To which she then started laughing.

"H-hey, I'm bein' serious here!"

"Hahahaha, and you're doing a lousy job at it!" Her sides were splitting. "Stick to being the goofball, Naruto, it works a lot better."

"Ugh, can't I just be cool for once?"

"Being 'cool' isn't your thing. Still, thanks for that. Don't worry about any tears, 'cuz I don't plan on crying over it until everything is dealt with."

Seeing her smile was enough. Maybe she had gotten a bit stronger since the last time they had met. Still, Naruto was going to make sure she wouldn't have to cry anymore.

With that, they went to the Hokage's office.


	3. Scroll 2

Scroll Two: A Harsh Wind

At the borders between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind moved three figures in the night. They didn't take the roads, going through the forests and underbrush towards their destination. Not an hour ago they had managed to sneak past the border patrol and now were deep into the target country. Still, they had to be careful. The last thing they needed was to give Sunagakure a warning.

Deidara adjusted the collar of his cloak, blocking off the sand blowing in from the night wind. Though this place was scorching hot during the day, at night it swiftly turned cool. And with the night came the gales that would strip someone's skin with the coarse, stinging sand that was kicked up.

He was annoyed he wasn't allowed to use his clay for transport, instead having walk all the way to Sunagakure. There had to be an easier way to do this. Hopefully the return trip wouldn't be as tedious.

"Something wrong, Deidara?" Shuu asked, adjusting the scarf he always wore close to his face.

"Just wondering how Master Sasori managed to tolerate this crappy place, hm."

"The wilderness can be unforgiving, which is why I tried to stay in the city whenever I came by here. You can see why Sunagakure is so deep within the desert."

"Quite." Sasori said. "The best defense is always one that is natural."

"Unless of course you can improve on it like you can, right, Master Sasori, hm?"

"Hehehe, of course. Just be ready with your bombs when we get into the city limits. The Jinchuuriki is going to be especially troublesome."

They kept running, Sunagakure getting closer and closer.

X

"HUH!? Whaddya mean everyone is a Chuunin but me?!"

"Isn't that what it says on the tin? Look, time didn't stop when you were away. Heck, Lee-kun and Neji are Jonin now and last time I saw Lee-kun he said Neji is looking at getting into the ANBU."

"Stop iiiiiiit, yer killing me." His dreams were crumbling before his very eyes.

"Well the Chuunin exams are next month, so maybe you'll be able to work something out with Master." Sakura thought it was best to leave the _really_ bad one until later.

Everyone was running around like their asses were on fire, Naruto barely dodging someone running down the hall holding what looked like enough paper to have slaughtered half a forest. He hadn't seen this much hustle and bustle since he and Jiraiya went to Yamushi City. They finally came to Tsunade's office.

"I'm back!"

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to see Naruto burst through the doors in his usual exuberant manner. Tsunade looked up from behind a mountain of forms to see them. She grinned coyly

"I was wondering when you'd get around to coming here. Shizune, I'll be busy for a bit."

"But you still have things to approve!"

"Well, that's why I'm leaving you my seal. I'll be back in a bit."

The old hag couldn't have left her desk fast enough, obviously having waited for the perfect distraction. She hurried Sakura and Naruto over to her private quarters for some long overdue R&R.

"Sorry, Chuunin exams have been running everyone ragged. Naruto, for all your bragging about wanting to become Hokage I hope you realize there's a lot of drudgery involved."

"Maybe I'll figure out some way to cut down on all the paperwork. I don't wanna be looking as bad as you do when I'm your age."

"You're lucky I'm more concerned about loosening up than treating that smart mouth of yours."

Tsunade pored over the various sake bottles she had in her study until she decided on the appropriate one. As much as she'd like to just swig the whole thing, she held herself back and poured out a small dish.

She was a bit surprised at how much taller Naruto had gotten. He was leaner too, his face being not quite as round as before. She wanted to ask him all about the things Jiraiya had put him through during their little training trip, but she knew they had to get down to business.

"You were supposed to come to my office right when you got into town."

"Sorry, I hadn't had a bite to eat all day and I wanted to check the town out."

"Naruto, I say that because there have been some movements as of late that concern me."

"Akatsuki, right?"

Naruto cocked his eyebrow at Sakura when she said that. She smirked back.

"Sorry, I've been getting nosy looking through your notes, Master."

"It's alright. You were probably going to find out anyway." Tsunade took another swig of her sake before setting the bottle aside. "The Akatsuki numbered nine three years ago. Now they're up to at least fourteen, if my sources are correct."

"So that's why the old man had me come straight to Konoha."

"Yes, and there have been rumors of them tracking down…interesting targets."

Jinchuuriki, Naruto thought. Over the years Jiraiya had taught him more about the concept. Every now and again a nation or hidden village would try to wrangle one of the Beasts up, containing it in a vessel. Naruto could understand why; a powerful ninja could turn the tide of battle and one with the kind of chakra the Beasts contained was like a weapon of mass destruction. When last Jiraiya knew, there were about five confirmed Jinchuuriki, including Naruto. Naruto's mind then drifted to a boy just like him he last saw about two years ago.

"Granny, is Gaara a target?"

"Probably, but I doubt the Kazekage is going to go quietly."

"Kazekage?"

X

It was noon in Sunagakure, the scorching sun high in the sky. Overlooking the city was a brown-haired youth with a tattoo above his left eye. He scanned the skyline, seeing just how far his town had come in these past few years. It had been odd, but things were for the better now.

A few years ago he had been Gaara of the Desert, a demon despised and feared by all. Even his own family had been afraid of him, looking at him with scorn and contempt. He did much the same, even burning that tattoo into his forehead as a reminder of the only thing he should love. That had changed though. And for that he was grateful.

The council meeting had ended a few minutes ago. Everyone brought up the report about the upcoming Chuunin exams. The curriculum they had adopted via recommendation from Konoha had been proving quite useful and trade was up. The Chuunin exams would also provide a good show of relations between the two villages. To think three years ago that Sunagakure had tried to invade them with Orochimaru. Konoha certainly had a forgiving bunch in charge.

When Akatsuki came up, however, things took a turn for the grim. It was certainly a lot to take in at once, especially with the idea that they might attack Sunagakure. ANBU were set about in key entry points with constant surveillance. But at the end of the day, Gaara himself would probably be the deciding factor.

_Attack me and I shall break your bones. _Gaara thought _Attack my people and I shall make you wish you were never born_

X

"Oh bother, none of these are interesting at all." Shuu examined a sword he had taken from a nearby corpse. His narrow eyes were a picture of utter disappointment.

"Well, mass-produced models ain't made for beauty, hm." Deidara had taken out his clay and was readying his move.

"Yech, these aren't tools, they're scrap." Shuu threw a kunai, hitting a nearby body square in the heart. "Does no one make weapons worth talking about anymore? Why do so many people forget about beauty to complement practicality?"

"Well, if you're looking for a work of art I'll give you the show of a lifetime, hm."

"Just be quick about it, Deidara." Sasori warned. "We are dealing with a Kage here and we need to bring him in alive."

"Don't worry, if Shuu and I double team him it should take five minutes, hm."

The two hopped on the clay bird Deidara had conjured and took to the skies. Finally, they could move freely. Deidara always hated going by foot, and there was no better way to appreciate aesthetics than being as high as possible. The architecture of Sunagakure was unique and had a certain charm in its quaint simplicity. It would look even better when it was blown to smithereens.

"Three sky guards, Deidara."

"I saw 'em, Shuu, don't worry about it, hm."

Deidara reached into his pack and pulled out three constructs in the shape of spiders. A specialty of his. Despite the height they were at, all three of the spiders hit their targets and Deidara was rewarded with an appropriate bang.

It was almost too easy, he thought, as he landed atop the main tower in the city.

"Infiltration com-"

"Deidara, we have a problem."

Standing in front of the two men was a brunette youth clad in red with a massive gourd made of sand on his back. And a pair of eyes that seemed to be permanently covered in eyeshadow.

"Oh well, at least this saves us the trouble of having to look for him."

"Bite me, Shuu."

Gaara wasted no time in going on the offensive. Sand was already barreling toward Deidara and his partner. Deidara got back on his bird, fleeing to the sky, as Shuu went straight toward their target.

Gaara had always prepared for multiple assailants. He went for the narrow-eyed man's legs to cut off his mobility. It didn't reach him though, Shuu having gone to the air before the sand could ground him. Seemingly out of nowhere the man drew a long spear and thrust towards Gaara. The sand barely parried the attack in time, the tip of the polearm nearly tickling Gaara's eyes.

"Oi, did you forget the plan, hm!?" Deidara called from above.

"Well, they never said we had to bring him in one piece."

Gaara rode on the sand away from Shuu. He never expected him to be that fast and melee had never been a strong suit of Gaara's. Within seconds he was in the air, floating on a cloud of sand as Shuu was still earthbound. Which turned out to not deter the man in the slightest

He reached within his robes and a flash of white shot out at Gaara. Just like the attack from earlier, it was blisteringly fast. Gaara managed to read the trajectory, though his Armor of Sand was stripped away where the projectiles had grazed him. All that from just a glance, Gaara thought.

And then they came flying back. The telltale whistling they made while flying through the air tipped him off. A moment too late and he might have lost an ear. Shuu smirked, his thin eyes widening to the point where Gaara could see a pair of electric blue eyes. Reaching into his cloak he threw more projectiles, filling the air with metal that flew on its own.

"I think we need liven things up!"

Deidara threw out his creations, small clay birds now buzzing through the air as they aimed for the Jinchuuriki. Gaara sped up sand, having to focus on dodging while intercepting projectiles with his sand. Though he wasn't all about defense.

Deidara was giving silent curses in his head as arms of sand lashed out at him. Shuu had to do the same, barely escaping the grasping hands of the desert. Now they were on the defensive. Perhaps they had taken this boy too lightly.

This boy was becoming quite irritating, Deidara thought. His bombs exploded upon impact with Gaara's sand, being little more than fireworks at a festival. Gaara had the advantage with so much sand around, but there was something off. It was like he had two different speeds going on. The stuff in close proximity was lightning quick and sturdy, but that at long range was a bit sluggish and dispersed quickly. Probably a range problem; users of techniques of that high level always had trouble keeping things consistent at all distances. In fact, the boy probably hadn't had experience with a zoning battle like this.

"Deidara!"

He had been so busy avoiding those arms of sand, Deidara never took into consideration as to why the sky had suddenly darkened. Closing in all around him was a giant sand maw ready to bite down.

"Oh…damn!"

Deidara flew like a bat out of hell as the entrance was being closed. He barely made it, though at the cost of his ride. And a sand tendril gripping around his right arm.

_Desert Coffin!_ Gaara clenched his fist.

Bone and sinew were crushed beneath the sand, so much so that Deidara's limb was beyond pain. Desperate, with one wrench he tore his own arm off and got onto a new bird.

Criminy, he thought, he had been playing around way too much. Shuu was having a tough time just keeping out of the sand's reach while he had wasted a lot of explosives. He was down to enough for one attack and he wasn't sure of what Shuu could do. Still, he had an idea.

Deidara gave a whistle to Shuu who nodded in compliance.

"Let's see how much of a demon this kid really is."

Gaara sat there in his sphere of sand. To be honest, this fight was dragging on longer than he wanted. The amount of chakra needed to manipulate such a huge amount of sand was monstrous and having to not only defend but attack at the same time was taxing on the mind. He needed to finish this quick.

However, he noticed the next bomb his opponent put up was _huge_, thrice the size of him at least. Gaara did not like that smug grin on his face.

"Tamaya!"

Deidara dropped the payload on Sunagakure. That bastard, so that's why he chose to fight in the city despite the obvious tactical disadvantage. Gaara's mind was calculating every sort of scenario in his head. Could he knock it away? No, there was no idea the exact power the explosive had so there was a chance he couldn't keep the city out of its blast radius. Containing it was also risky as the force of it could turn his sand into shrapnel and shred every civilian in the vicinity. He had to minimize the amount of sand in order to defend himself, but also couldn't risk underestimating the explosion. The bomb descended, getting closer and closer as hundreds looked up at the clay figure headed toward them.

It went off, a deafening explosion that could be heard for kilometers filling the air. However, it never reached Sunagakure, an umbrella of sand protecting the city. Gaara's brother, Kankurou, and their old captain Baki looked in awe at what he had done. Gaara allowed himself a sigh of relief. But then he heard a sizzling noise right next to his head.

"Right in firing range." Deidara made his signal.

Despite being at point black range, Gaara's sand shell was especially fast. The small explosion didn't get him directly but still blew the shell to pieces. Though Deidara had meant that as a feint the whole time. Gaara was still conscious, his Armor of Sand mitigating the explosion somewhat. A pillow of sand intercepted him to land on.

"Hello." Oh right, there were two of them.

Gaara was so banged up from Deidara's explosives that Shuu barely had to put any force into the whirling kick he used to send the boy flying over to Deidara. He landed on Deidara's clay owl, being wrapped in its tail feathers.

Mission accomplished. Shuu leapt from one midair weapon to another, like stepping stones in a river.

"Haha, coulda gone better, but a finish is a finish, hm."

"We shouldn't keep Master Sasori waiting." Shuu landed on the bird, replacing his weapons back into his cloak. "And we need to have your injuries examined."

"Still not the _worst_ injury I've ever had."

They flew off, leaving the entirety of the village in shock as they hauled away their Kazekage like luggage.


	4. Scroll 3

Scroll Three: I'm Pulling Your Strings

Sasori was bored. Deidara and Shuu had been gone longer than he expected. Judging by the humongous racket that was going on in Sunagakure, the target had not gone quietly. Of course had Deidara prepared properly instead of running in then things wouldn't have escalated. He really needed to drill the concept of discipline into that boy's head.

Three of the Beasts now, just about enough to get rid of the first seal. Still, why was Pain so sure about this? Sasori had tried to find information on his own and nothing ever came up.

From above the shadow of Deidara's owl loomed, the artificial bird descending onto the sand. Wrapped in its tail feathers was their target.

"You're late." Sasori grumbled.

"Sorry, this one was a little tougher than I thought, hm."

"Well, well, it seems like we have company."

Shuu pointed towards the canyon, bringing attention to a youth wearing black from head to toe and his face painted with peculiar designs. A scowl of fury was directed at Shuu, Deidara, and Sasori.

The young man unfurled the scrolls he had on his back and within a split second there were three, huge puppets readied for an attack, guided by chakra strings.

"O ho ho, Master Sasori, it seems we have a rival for you?" Shuu smirked.

"Hmmm, you two go on ahead, I would hate to be the only one not having contributed in any way."

Sasori couldn't help but remember those old creations of his. Karasu, Kuroari, and Sanshouuo, they were all ones he made many years ago. This boy, Kankurou, if he remembered his name correctly, certainly had kept them in very good condition. Now to see if the puppeteer in him was up to snuff.

Karasu came first, definitely moving with a grace one would not expect with a puppet. He was fast, probably even quicker than an elite ninja. To think it was just a puppet being manipulated by strings of chakra. Though to Sasori it was little more than a bunch of scrap.

He didn't move, deftly intercepting Karasu with a single stroke. The puppet was now prone, coiled in the long, bladed tail coming from beneath Sasori's robes. He grinned beneath the bandanna that covered his mouth.

"I'll make this quick."

X

After seeing Tsunade, Naruto went around the village. He ran into a few of his old buddies, Shikamaru revealing he was doing something for the Chuunin exams. Temari was there with him, Sakura almost rubbing it in that she was a Jounin like Lee and Neji. Seriously, it was like she was trying to depress him. He would have stayed out longer, but Sakura unfortunately had some things to attend to and Naruto was weary from his trip. He'd gotten the keys to his apartment back from Kakashi and decided to sleep in a normal bed for the first time in ages.

It was weird for Naruto to be back home after so long. He'd spent so much time sleeping in inns ranging from luxury to hole-in-the-wall, beneath the stars, and even in dank caves he'd almost forgotten what a normal one felt like. Iruka-sensei and Tsunade had taken care of his place while he was gone, everything being a lot cleaner than when he had left it.

He had fallen asleep as soon as he hit his old bed, more worn out from his travels than he realized. He woke up around noon, drowsy and his hair a mess as he heard frantic banging on the front door.

"Alright, alright, keep your damn pants on." He grumbled, rubbing grogginess out of his eyes.

As soon as he unlocked the door he was grabbed by the wrist and yanked through the streets of Konoha.

"Gah, what the hell!?" Man, this was better than coffee for waking up. "Sakura-chan?"

"Big problem! Master said to get your butt to the office ASAP."

"Couldn't she have waited until I was properly dressed?" Thank the gods he didn't wear his penguin pajamas last night.

"That's the least of your worries, Sunagakure just got attacked!"

"What?"

"Akatsuki. Gaara is in trouble."

Despite looking like a mess, not even having done his hair properly or wearing shoes, Naruto went straight to Tsunade's office. Kakashi-sensei was already there as well with Temari sitting on a nearby sofa, her head hanging. There was no good news to tell, if their expressions were any indication. Naruto swallowed hard and finally asked.

"How bad is it?"

"We got the wire from Suna about thirty minutes ago. Three Akatsuki members managed to infiltrate the village. Gaara took on two of them but was beaten and captured."

Gaara? The kid who became a Kage at fourteen? Naruto had personally witnessed the guy's power, heck he _fought_ him, and he fought the Tailed Beast inside him trying to tear out of him. How in the world could he be taken out like that? This was some kind of sick joke.

"You can't be serious."

"Dead serious. Even if you only met them for a moment, you should have gotten a glimpse of how strong the Akatsuki are. It took two of them, but they beat him and captured him. His brother, Kankurou, is also in critical condition. Poisoned by a third member."

"Freaking…"

Temari was shaking, both with anxiety and rage. She was gritting her teeth, trying her best not to lose herself. Naruto, having no family of his own, could only imagine the fear and anger swelling inside her right now. But even if he didn't, he did have something in common with Gaara.

"Granny, yer givin' me this mission come hell or high water."

"Heh, don't worry, I wasn't planning on leaving you out of it." She ripped off an official form from her desk and handed it to Kakashi. "You're to rendezvous at Sunagakure for information and recon. After that, back up the Suna. The Kazekage's retrieval is top priority."

"I'm going too." Temari spoke up. She looked about ready to bolt out the door herself. Tsunade thought for a bit.

"Normally a family member wouldn't be allowed on a mission like this due to emotional compromise. However, you being the most experienced Sand ninja in the immediate area is quite a boon." Naruto could practically see her wink. "You're to guide them to Sunagakure and assist them if need be. However, keep in mind that Kakashi will be calling the shots."

"Yes, ma'am."

They were ready to leave within the hour. According to Kakashi it'd take around three days to get to the Land of Wind if they took the bare minimum with breaks. If they _really_ felt like killing themselves they could probably halve the travel time, but they needed to pace themselves. The Akatsuki weren't going to make things easy once they met. Well, maybe for Kakashi and Sakura. Naruto felt like he could make the trip in ten minutes if he knew where he was going. When he met Sasuke's brother and that shark-looking guy three years ago he felt nothing but fear and confusion. Now he was running on anger. Once he got his hands around their necks he wouldn't hesitate to squeeze.

"Well, looks I'm late to the party for once." Jiraiya arrived on one of his toads.

"So you know already." Tsunade sighed.

"Yeah, hard to believe the Akatsuki made that big of a scene. If they're that willing to be out in the open then things could get bad quick." He glanced at Naruto. About fifty gigabytes of information was exchanged between the two of them.

"Old man, I ain't gonna go nuts, so don't worry."

"You've said that before. I've only seen one other person that would blow up worse than you and she's lucky she didn't die before she was old enough to drink. There's nothing wrong about getting pissed or hot-headed, but don't let it cloud your mind. And remember, don't use _that_ jutsu."

"Alright."

The team bid farewell to Tsunade and Jiraiya, scurrying down the path at breakneck speed towards Suna. Akatsuki already, Naruto thought. He could put aside anything pertaining to himself at the moment. Right now, he needed to get Gaara back.

X

Sasori had probably enjoyed that more than he should have. It had been so long since he had met a fellow puppet user that he couldn't resist taking his time for once. Though the boy had been a mere amateur compared to him, it was amusing to see someone using the puppets Sasori himself had designed. He was so impressed he couldn't bring himself to finish the kid off. He wondered if that boy would have grown up into something truly inspirational. A pity he had to use his special venom on the kid. Poor brat wouldn't last more than a few days with that running through his system.

After his little scuffle he hurried to where Deidara and Shuu were waiting. Shuu was examining Deidara's crushed arm.

"Hmm, it might be salvageable. Next time you see Kakuzu you should have him take a look at it."

"Wish I was just as customizable as he is, hm."

"If you want, I can make a puppet arm for you, Deidara. I could make an improvement or two."

"I think I'll pass, Master Sasori, hm. Who wants to last forever, anyway, hm?"

"Suit yourself."

They hurried on, their prize in tow and their goals one step closer.


	5. Scroll 4

Scroll Four: The Gathering

Naruto hadn't run this much since the mission with Sasuke. As soon as they were out of the gates of Konoha they'd gone full-bore. They were subjected to hours upon hours of going through the passes and roads until they got to the border. When the roads were no longer going to let them go in a straight line they went through the wilderness. It wasn't nearly as bad as some of the trips that the old man had subjected him to, but even if it was he was on a mission. He could walk through Hell right now and it wouldn't matter.

Nightfall came, alleviating the party from the sun for a bit. They had to get back on the road, but Kakashi ordered a break for the moment. The last thing he needed was all of them collapsing.

"We'll be back on the road in an hour." He said, opening his pack. "Rest your legs for a bit and maybe get a bite to eat."

"If I didn't have to guide you I'd still be hauling it." Temari grumbled, tearing a hunk off of a piece of chicken jerky she had.

"And you'd probably wear yourself out doing so. Pace yourself, Temari. Tsunade-sama assured me she'll be sending us backup as soon as she can gather a proper team."

"Not nearly fast enough."

Temari looked like she had aged a few years in a couple hours. She looked gaunt and worn, her eyes dull. But more than that she looked angry. Naruto could see the fire behind her eyes that she did everything she could to keep it back.

Naruto remembered the way Gaara had looked during the Chuunin exams and the invasion of Konoha. He was always angry, bitter, and hollow. Treated like a monster, a freak ever since he was born. Naruto could understand that. He could understand that soul-crushing isolation.

And how much had Temari gone through with that? Her own little brother, unable to be close to anyone for most of his childhood, struggling to connect to even his siblings, how much did that hurt her? And now he was being taken away by a bunch of psychos she didn't even know existed until now. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Naruto?"

"Temari, I can't say I understand fully what you're going through. But I already failed one retrieval mission and I sure as hell ain't gonna fail another."

"Naruto, I don't need that kind of crap right now. Of course no one wants to fail a mission."

"It's more than that. Gaara and I, we're alike."

"Oh?" Sakura chimed in. "How so? I've asked Master a couple of times before about why Akatsuki is so intent on finding you but she never answered."

Typical of adults, Naruto thought. There was no point in hiding it any longer. Sooner or later everyone would know, so it was better to just let the cat out of the bag.

Naruto lifted up his shirt, revealing his midriff to the two girls.

"Hey, what the hell!?" Sakura was red-faced.

"Wait a second."

He concentrated his chakra, revealing the markings on his abdomen. Temari's eyes widened while Sakura just looked confused.

"Sakura-chan, have you ever wondered what happened to the Nine-tailed Fox?"

"I…oh god, are you really saying…?"

"Yeah, and Gaara's got something very similar inside him. _This_ is what the Akatsuki is after."

The Akatsuki, even after three years with the old man Naruto still didn't understand what they were. Why did they want the Tailed Beasts? Then again, the old man probably was in the dark too.

Admittedly, at first, the only reason Naruto had been interested in the Akatsuki was due to Sasuke's brother. That day at the hotel, those burning red eyes that were boring a hole straight into his soul and that shark freak with the giant sword still stood in utter clarity. Naruto had met a lot of bad men, a lot of evil men, but those two were by far the worst.

The only thing he knew was that Itachi was Sasuke's brother, and the culprit of the worst mass murder in the history of Konoha. He was the entire reason Sasuke sought out vengeance, sought out power from Orochimaru. And that day at the hotel could make Naruto understand that. He saw nothing human behind Itachi's eyes. He didn't sense the slightest bit of emotion unlike with everyone else he had met. It was like peering into nothingness, like a void ready to swallow him whole.

No, as much as Naruto wanted to find Sasuke again, he knew just from remembering that one meeting that there was something bigger. Sasuke was just a small fraction of whatever was going on and the utter dismissal Itachi showed had proven that. And now Gaara, a Kage, being captured and dragged off like a trophy. If they were merely objects for the Akatsuki to acquire, what did that say of their goals?

"You…poor, poor child."

Temari's face softened, something Naruto never remembered her doing even at her kindest. She reached for the seal on him, though not touching. He could see tears welling in her eyes.

"I remember the day Gaara came into this world was the day they sealed that _thing_ into him. I don't know if that's the reason why, but that was also the last day I would ever see my mother. And she asked one thing of me."

"What was that?"

"She said 'protect your little brother.' He was a tiny thing, a little over half the size of a normal baby. So very…small…"

Temari broke down, falling to her knees as she wept openly. She was trembling, unable to control her sobbing.

"I'm…I'm supposed to be the eldest. Big sisters…they're meant to protect their little brothers, right?"

"Hey, hey, come here."

Sakura held Temari close, comforting the young woman until she settled down. It was something she needed, something anyone in her circumstances would need. After awhile she cleaned her face off, though she was still puffy-eyed. Kakashi threw his pack back on.

"Temari, we're not planning on letting you worry anymore, you hear?"

"Yeah." She looked to Naruto and grinned. "Y'know, I think it'd be nice if you and Gaara became good friends."

Naruto turned a bit red in the face.

They resumed their journey towards the desert, perhaps at an even swifter pace than before.

X

Deidara, Sasori, and Shuu had finally arrived at the rendezvous point. This had been one gigantic hassle right from the outset. Days of sneaking into the country, getting in a huge battle, and then days of sneaking out were a bit much for Deidara. After this he needed to unwind, maybe test out some new explosives he had been experimenting on lately. At the very least he needed to do it after this little ritual they had to do.

Three days, it was gonna take three goddamned days to extract the Beast from this stupid kid they had captured. And that was when they had all ten rings in order to enact the ritual. Deidara had been bored out of his mind the last two times they had done this. The only reason he hadn't dropped the whole thing right in the middle was because of what Pain would have done if he quit.

The trees were a welcome sight after days of the bleak, scorching desert. It was still hot as hell, but at least there was some shade to keep the sun away. Deidara couldn't wait to get into the shade and away from all this, even if it would be three days of mind-numbing boredom.

"Oi, Shuu, how much further to the rendezvous, hm?"

"About ten kilometers, give or take. It's not a hard spot to miss."

"Yeah, I know, Itachi wouldn't shut up about how it was an old shrine or some crap like that, hm. This little bastard is turning out to be more trouble than he was worth."

"Well, in three days he won't be a bother anymore, now will he?"

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Deidara had never been so relieved to see a crappy old cave in his life. Again, he wasn't looking forward to the ritual, but at least he could give his legs a rest and it was nice and cool underground.

"It's your turn this time, Shuu."

"Don't worry, Master Sasori, there won't be a single soul who will get past me."

Deidara dumped Gaara unceremoniously onto the damp, cold floor. A pair of eyes bored into him and then glanced at the young boy. A dozen other shadows appeared around the walls. They were all in attendance now, even those who weren't needed for the ritual.

"You're late." Pain growled as he made a few gestures.

The ground rumbled and shook. The very air seemed to crackle with some unknown force, surrounding everyone in its splendor. From the ground came a statue, monolithic in size. Deidara was able to stand on one of its fingers with room to spare. He forgot what Pain called it, but it was the chosen vessel for the Beasts they were tracking down.

Once again Pain made some symbols with his hands. It was a complex technique, requiring Pain to use hand seals in the double digits and then need everyone to concentrate. They were going to tear Shuukaku right out of its host.

Gaara was surrounded in a pale light that poured from the statue's mouth. And from his body seeped the very essence of the Tailed Beast.

Shuu, watching from the cave entrance, couldn't help but be in awe of it. He had been in one of the rituals before and witnessed the other before that. It was simply fascinating to watch no matter how many times he had seen it before. Chakra so thick it could be seen with the naked eye. Or, in the case of the Beast, would it be more accurate to say it was the soul? It was truly amazing at how Pain was capable of such a feat. Shuu, for one, was glad they were on the same side. He really did want to see the end of Pain's plan. He wanted to see what one could do if all nine Beasts were brought together.

Shuu stepped out to start setting up countermeasures. They had heard about Konoha sending out a team for the Jinchuuriki. And luckily for them, it was the Nine-Tails boy. Maybe they could get a two-for-one deal. To be honest, Shuu was hoping they'd get this far. After all, it had been a long time since he had been able to truly display the reason he earned a title most infamous in the Wind Country.

"I do believe it is time for the War Prince to give his blades fresh blood."

He had three days. And that was going to be a more than enough time to sharpen his blades and prepare a proper arena.


	6. Scroll 5

Scroll Five: The Old and the Young

They finally reached Sunagakure after three days of near-nonstop running. Never had Naruto come to despise heat as he did now. He felt like a piece of jerky, dried out from the blistering sun, the scathing wind, and the unrelenting heat. He would kill for a rainstorm right now, if just to make him feel like he wasn't mummified anymore.

They were in the infirmary at Sunagakure where Kankurou was. Apparently he'd shot full of some nasty venom from the Akatsuki. According to the doctors he'd barely been hanging in there, only kept alive due to the best medicines they had. But still, it wasn't enough to annihilate the poison. That was, until Sakura took a shot at it.

She was examining him, her hands hovering over him as she looked for the best way to treat him. She was the apprentice of Tsunade, the best doctor the world over. Eventually she stopped above his abdomen. Her fingers glowed, most likely chakra scalpels. She made a couple of incisions, very shallow, but enough to draw blood.

Then she started extracting something from Kankurou. Instead of merely countering the poison she drew it straight out, directly removing it from Kankurou's body. Within a few minutes she had discarded the glob of sickly venom into a nearby bowl.

"There, his life isn't in danger, but I think I should make an antidote for whatever's left in him and some for us when we run into the guy who did this. Where's the pharmacy?"

"I can direct you right to the greenhouse." Said a nearby nurse. "The physician who was watching over Kankurou-san is already there so she can help you."

"Great."

"I'll come along too." Naruto chimed.

"I don't need your clumsiness, Naruto. We're talking about delicate medicines here."

"No, I think he _should_ meet Chiyo-baasama." Baki commented. "After all, she has a special history with all this."

"O…kay?"

"You two get going, I have a few things to take care of and I think Naruto would be better off assisting you instead of just laying around." Kakashi said.

Despite the utter confusion at what that was about, the two Konoha ninja followed the nurse out of the hospital and into the city.

Naruto had heard about the fight from Tsunade and Kakashi, but witnessing the aftermath was another thing entirely. Entire buildings had been wrecked via collateral damage and there was an excess of sand everywhere. This was the level they fought at, and now Naruto and Sakura were expected to match that at the least?

Again, that day at the hotel came back to him. Itachi throwing Sasuke aside like he was nothing and that shark-looking freak with the giant sword were clear in his mind. Just from those few minutes he knew those two were on a completely different level. Naruto knew he had grown stronger during his training, but he never had the chance to properly test it. Would it be enough?

"Here it is, Chiyo-baasama's private conservatory."

The heat outside was bothersome, but in the greenhouse it was sweltering. It was all for keeping the plants nourished, but the second Naruto stepped through the doorway he was assaulted by humidity so thick he thought he was walking through water. This wasn't a greenhouse, it was a damn rainforest!

"Hurry up and close that door, you'll dry everything out!" Said a hoarse, textured voice coming from behind the rows and rows of plants.

Amidst the various flowers, herbs, and other bizarre plants Naruto had never seen before was a tiny old woman, probably a head or two shorter than Naruto was. She looked positively ancient. Naruto wondered if the reason she asked for them to close the door was because of a stiff breeze threatening to blow her over.

She was busy with a mortar and pestle, mixing some kind of concoction. The pungent stench of all of these was almost overpowering, sending Naruto's sense of smell into overdrive. He felt like he was going to nauseous if he wasn't careful.

"Are you Chiyo-baasama?" Sakura asked. "I'm Haruno Sakura, and this is my teammate Naruto."

"Pleased to meet'cha."

"Yes, yes, that's all well and good, but I have a boy to keep alive and unless you've been sent to deliver the necessary reagents I asked for you're in the way."

"If you're talking about Kankurou-san, then there's no worry. I already drew the poison out."

The old woman nearly dropped the pestle she had been using. A weathered face that was made of wrinkles and a pair of beady eyes looked at Sakura in disbelief.

"I busted my hump for three days keeping that boy merely on the brink." She was impressed, if a bit offended. "If this is some kinda sick joke, it ain't funny."

"I have the evidence." Sakura withdrew a vial containing the venom she had extracted straight out of Kankurou. The old woman took it and poured a bit of it into a petri dish. After examining it for a minute the old woman responded with a bit of a smirk.

"Well I'll be, ya learn something new every day."

"Thank you very much." Sakura bowed. "My teacher taught me well."

"Well, if ya wouldn't mind, it'd be nice to have assistance. All this is tiring on an old woman's hands. And you, blondie."

"Yeah?"

"Everything's labeled properly, so be prepared to be a worker bee for a bit."

"….Sometimes I hate you, Sakura-chan." His pink-haired teammate shrugged.

XXXXX

"That's everything so far." Kakashi talked to Tsunade over the secure line in Sunagakure's ANBU base.

"_Sasori of the Red Sand…this could definitely be a problem. What about the other two?"_

"According to Suna, the two men who did the actual fighting against Gaara are one Deidara, formerly of Iwagakure's Explosion Corps, and Shuu, formerly a mercenary born in the Land of Iron. The former was a bomber for hire after leaving Iwagakure up until a few years ago when he started being sighted exclusively with Akatsuki. As for Shuu, the guy has a reputation as a top grade mercenary and bounty hunter, but also had a bad habit of being excessive with force. He brought in a lot of bounties horribly mutilated or killed important targets without proper consent."

"_So a couple of psychos. Having guys like Itachi and Kisame are bad enough, but now they're recruiting straight up murderers?"_

"Their more extreme cases are straight out of a horror movie. The one that got Shuu listed in the Bingo Book involved him being found at the home of a local gang. They were all slaughtered. When asked why he did it he said 'they had some very interesting knives'."

"_No mercy whatsoever. Well, your backup is getting prepped right now so we'll send them towards where the Akatsuki were last sighted."_

"I'll send Pakkun to meet Guy and his kids halfway. I got Sasori's scent so it shouldn't be hard."

"_Alright, I'll inform them. Get moving, but be careful."_

Kakashi didn't waste any time. While Sakura and Naruto were still prepping, he summoned his hounds.

"Heh, now this is a right mess you've gotten us into." Bull, the largest of the dogs, scoffed.

"Save it, this is a life or death situation." Kakashi took out the scrap of cloth Kankurou had managed to get from Sasori. "I need you guys on your best. The guy who wore this was three days out."

"Man, that's really cutting it." Pakkun sniffed the scrap, blanching at some scent discernible only to him. "Gah! I take it back, if he had something that smelled that corrosive then there's no way in hell I could lose track of him."

"You're going to be seeking out Guy. He's already headed here with his team so I want you to meet him halfway and meet us at the destination. We'll save a lot of time with that."

"Eh, I gotta deal with that loudmouth?"

"A loudmouth who can kick ass up and down the block all day. Neji, Tenten, and Lee aren't slouches either, I can tell ya that. Look, just find him and then rendezvous with us. Every second counts."

Pakkun, reluctant as he was, complied and zipped across the desert with lightning speed. Hopefully Naruto and Sakura were hurrying. Even with such a distinct scent they couldn't rule out mishaps or roadblocks. Kakashi still remembered Itachi's Mangekyou and the hell he went through. He couldn't let that happen again. Not one to let his students upstage him, Kakashi had been doing his own training over the past three years. And he too had learned a few new tricks in order to compete.

XXXXX

"Lilac."

"Gotcha."

"Monk's hood."

"Here."

"Nightshade."

"Sakura-chan, that's poisonous."

"Hey, potatoes are part of the nightshade family and we eat those constantly."

"Yeah, but not the flowers of them."

Chiyo was astonished at not only the Sakura girl being very learned in the preparation of medicine and poisons, but the boy for actually being quite the horticulturist. He didn't know what any of them did, but he had no troubles identifying anything on the medicine cabinets or the potted plants that were for reagents she hadn't restocked yet. His clones helped greatly as well.

Students of two of the Sannin, what a day. That boy, there was something else about him though…

The door to the conservatory flew open, a lanky, white-haired man entering. At first Chiyo thought she saw a ghost. Was that…was that the White Fang of Konoha? He even had the same lazy eye, though other one being covered by his forehead protector.

"Naruto, Sakura, how are things going?"

"I managed to make a few antidotes for the poison. Still, pray you don't have to use it."

"Yes, my grandson probably has a few others in his arsenal. I never thought being named after the scorpion would turn out to be so prophetic."

Those children coming back to haunt her, it weighed heavy on her old, worn shoulders. Sasori, her own grandson, capturing the Kazekage who was holding the Beast she helped put in him. She didn't which of her actions was worse; her neglect allowing her own flesh and blood to descend into such behavior or her refusal to go against the former leader of her village that allowed the current one to become a target.

These kids were going to go up against Sasori of the Red Sand, arguably the greatest puppet master who ever lived? She heard about his exploits over the years since he abandoned the village and none of them were pretty. She heard about all the others who came to him, thinking they could make a name for themselves or seeking justice. They all ended up dead, another body to add to the pile. Would these two just be added to it?

Kakashi examined the doses Sakura had made. She had three, not nearly enough for everyone as she needed to inoculate Kankurou. Hopefully they wouldn't need it though. She was just getting done with the final dose, the last she could make with the poison sample she had. If she weren't in such a hurry they could probably make more, but time was a luxury they didn't have.

"Alright, we move immediately." Kakashi took a dose and put it into his pack. "Pakkun is going to meet with Guy's team and they'll meet us at where Sasori's scent is."

"Heh, I was wondering when I'd see those guys again." Naruto grinned. If things weren't so serious he'd probably be asking for a rematch with Neji or Lee.

"Wait a minute."

They stopped just shy of the door when Chiyo spoke up. Getting off the stool she had been using she went over to a thick, leather bag and hefted it.

"How's about you give me five minutes? I've been meaning to give my little boy a good old spanking for awhile."

"Y'know, I would joke about age here, but three years with the old man taught me that all that does is make people a lot smarter. And nastier." Naruto shuddered at remembering all the times Jiraiya had showed him how he had earned his title. It had taught him to respect his elders a little more.

"Chiyo-baasan…" Kakashi mumbled, mentally weighing whether or not to honor her request. "Alright, you're on the team. Meet us at the front gates in five minutes. Though you'll probably only need two."

Chiyo had made many mistakes in her life. She wasn't about to add another one.

XXXXX

"Alright, you're to back up Kakashi and his team. Take initiative when you can, but be careful. I know three of you are Jounin, but you're dealing with S-class criminals here."

"Understood, Tsunade-sama."

Neji adjusted his pack, making sure he brought everything he needed. Tenten was packed to the gills, having numerous scrolls at ready and kunai strapped to her legs. She probably even had a few hidden. Lee had already removed his weights, knowing that his philosophy of holding back wasn't going to work here. If he wasn't at full tilt from the start, things could go bad.

Akatsuki, Neji had heard about them quite a bit over the past few months. He was lucky never to have encountered them, but the stories he heard were enough to concern him. Guy-sensei couldn't help but brag about meeting them, but Neji doubted he would look willingly for them.

"Alright kids, let's get moving! Whaddya say we try to make it to the Sand in a day?"

"I say we make it in half a day! We have a lot of time to make up for."

Neji groaned. It would take three days to reach the Sand, maybe shaving off half a day if they went full-bore with it. Still, at least Guy-sensei and Lee were enthusiastic.

They set out with utmost haste. However, they wouldn't notice on the way that someone was watching them. From a tree peered a man with half his body black and the other half white.

Zetsu looked at the three. However, his gaze was most intent on Neji.

"Byakugan…"


	7. Scroll 6

Scroll Six: Feeding Frenzy

"We have new additions."

It had been almost three days since the ritual started with the extraction. Despite the power of those at work, the ritual was tedious. It just went to show the astronomical power of the Beasts. Despite that, Zetsu had been using a linked clone to watch the perimeter. He always had the greatest range when it came to recon.

"How many?" Pain asked, concentrating on the ritual.

"Four of them coming from Konoha, though three of them are students. The others are approaching from Sunagakure, the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki is among them. The one in charge of the first group appears to be named Guy."

"Ah yes." Itachi said. "He's one of the greatest taijutsu experts you'll ever see. Best if you delay him at least."

"Anything else of note, Zetsu?"

"Yes, one of Guy's students is a Hyuuga."

"Hyuuga…" Pain said to himself.

"Pain-san, can I partake?" Shuu had been in the cave for awhile, having gotten tired of the blistering sun.

"No Shuu, you're to stand guard at all times. Your stamina needs to be conserved."

"Can I take a whack at it?" One of others asked, his voice irritated. "Kakuzu, Kin-ki, and I have been havin' trouble findin' our Jinchuuriki. I've been outta action for too long."

"Stand down, Hidan, I've got business with him." Kisame retorted. "Pain-san, if you'll indulge me, I'd like to take care of him. I still need to pay back that odd beast for that kick at Konoha."

"Alright, I'll allow it since your chakra allows a bit of leeway. Still, I'll need to keep some behind. And if you can…"

"What?"

"The Hyuuga, try to not kill them."

"Heh, this won't take long."

"As for you, Itachi, I'll allow you to meet with the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki."

"As you wish, sir."

XXXXX

It had been a day since they had set out from the village. Guy, despite knowing the dire situation, couldn't help but feel competitive. Kakashi's team had finally been reassembled (sans one) and their first mission back was with Guy's. He wanted to make a wager when he finally got around to seeing Kakashi. It had to be something big though considering the circumstances, not just another set of running laps or doing pushups. No, he had to make it something memorable.

About an hour ago they had met with one of Kakashi's hounds who gave them an update. They would meet on the road, not at Sunagakure as planned.

All the better, Neji thought. Since his last mission with Naruto he had wanted to ask the boy a few things. He still couldn't shake off the unease he had from three years ago back during the Chuunin exams. He had asked his uncle and grandfather, but he always got the same answer: "It's not our place." Naruto being assigned a mission like this right after returning to Konoha had only piqued his suspicions further.

"Neji, are you alright?" asked Tenten. "Don't zone out on us, you're the rear guard."

"Sorry, I'm just a little worn is all."

"Hah, this is why you never could beat me in stamina!" Lee couldn't resist taking a chance to brag.

"Not physically, it's just that something has been bothering me."

"Keep focused Neji, we can't be distracted." Guy-sensei said. "Whatever troubles you have, you'll to put them aside for now."

If only you know the troubles involved someone we're working with, thought Neji.

They kept going for awhile, following Pakkun who had the scent of Sasori on his nose. However, the dog sniffed the air and noticed a strange scent. It was pungent and sickening, like that of a bloodbath. His blood turned to ice as he recognized that stench.

"We have company!"

"Neji!" Guy-sensei immediately stopped and went into a stance.

Neji activated his Byakugan and quickly searched the area in every direction possible. Of course, the point of attack was the obvious one.

"Behind!"

The ground tore open as something raced towards them with earnest purpose. The earth split as something wrapped in bandages carved through the ground like a mock shark fin. Neji and Tenten barely avoided it, leaping out of the way as it went past them.

Eventually a figure emerged from the ground. Neji, looking through his Byakugan, saw not only a monster of a man wielding a sword as big as he was, but a giant set of chakra coils that looked like they were about to boil over. They were supposed to fight _this_?

"You look familiar…" Neji could tell Guy-sensei was struggling to remember him. Neji had long since seen the man in the Bingo Book as Hoshigaki Kisame.

"Heh, I see brains and brawn are a little too much to ask for in you."

"HIYAH!"

Whether it was from stupidity or just wanting to set the pace, Lee was the first to attack. From Kisame's blind spot he came, sending the man a kick that could pound bone into powder and bend steel. Kisame merely deflected it with his sword. He didn't retaliate though, choosing instead to retreat and prepare a jutsu.

_Suiton, Bakushouha!_

From Kisame's mouth came a deluge and within mere seconds the ground they had previously been standing on was now submerged under meters of water. Before they even had time to properly stand on the water via chakra, Kisame came riding on a giant swell towards them like the world's deadliest surfer.

They scattered again to avoid the force of the wave hitting them. Kisame, ever-vindictive, went for Guy. His Samehada cut through the air, though Lee showed he was just as tenacious.

"WATA!"

Lee had equipped the nunchaku he brought and struck Kisame along the arm. The Samehada spun in the air, far away from Kisame.

"Dammit!" Kisame cursed under his breath. He let his ego get the better of him.

_Hakke: Kuushou!_

Kisame literally couldn't see Neji's attack coming at him. Despite ten meters separating the two of them, Neji struck him with a fist that moved through the air itself. Kisame tumbled through the air, though at least towards Samehada. However, he then heard a hissing just as he touched Samehada's hilt. And he was positive Deidara wasn't in a ten-kilometer radius of him.

Tenten's explosive went off, showering the area with shrapnel and blades. Still, the lack of blood confirmed that she had missed. Not wasting time, she summoned a new implement in the form of a repeating crossbow.

"Pesky brats." The Akatsuki surfaced, his eyes piercing into the four Leaf Nin.

"I still can't quite place you." Neji was starting to believe that Guy-sensei's selective memory was a more useful weapon than anything else they had.

"Tch, I'm really going to have to go all out to jog your memory, aren't I?"

XXXXX

Itachi waited. He knew they were coming this way, the only proper path through the waterways for kilometers around. He sat there with bated breath. For the first time in years he was finally moving again, able to indulge himself a bit. Being on Pain's leash for so long had irritated him. He wasn't going to go for the big techniques just yet. He was going to savor it a bit.

The sound of leaves and branches rattling reached his ears. Just like he predicted, they were approaching the road. They were even coming from the exact direction he had anticipated.

They came quickly. First Kakashi, then Naruto, Sasuke's little sakura-headed teammate, and…odd, Itachi hadn't expected an addition. He had never seen the woman, but he had heard about her before from Sasori. Chiyo, a truly incorrigible woman. This complicated matters. Though not much, at least for Itachi

"Halt!"

Kakashi was wise, not rushing his team headlong at Itachi. Naruto's eyes were like a pair of blue flames, burning with rage at Itachi. The pink-haired girl, however, was clearly trembling. He would take her lightly most of the time, but her teacher was Tsunade.

"Itachi…" Kakashi was already readying his eye.

"Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun, it's been too long." He flexed his fingers, his knuckles cracking

"Don't look at his eyes! You take one glance at them, his genjutsu will get you and there's no getting out of it. If you need to read him, just look at his body and feet."

A sound strategy, Itachi thought. Only a fool would look a Sharingan user in the face. And for Kakashi to understand the Tsukuyomi after one use, he truly was worthy of his reputation. But were it that simple, Itachi would have been dead long before he made the ANBU squad.

"Naruto-kun," he began "if you'd like, the offer from before still stands. After all, if you want to see Sasuke again, I'm the best way to meet him."

Itachi's provocation was the appropriate decision, though Kakashi still found a way to throw a wrench into things. He charged ahead faster than his student, though the Itachi he met wasn't the real one. Itachi made a beeline for Naruto while Kakashi was busy with the clone.

"HAAAAAA!"

The girl struck the ground with her bare fist. Taijutsu was so troublesome for the Sharingan. Still, the flash of chakra provided him with what the girl had been learning the past three years. The ground cracked and shook, splitting open. And to think all she did was punch the earth.

_Rasengan!_

Naruto's control had improved a lot since then. He came at Itachi with the famed spiral attack of the Fourth. It was so beautiful to see in person, Itachi only barely dodged it. The backlash was so great that a huge sphere was eaten right in the ground.

Should he use it? Pain had ordered him against the Mangekyou, but due to Pain requiring it, Itachi was unsure of what he could do to punish him. Besides, he was having a bit of fun now. He needed to see a little more.

"What's wrong, Itachi, why aren't you ending this quicker?" Blast, Kakashi dealt with that clone faster than he anticipated. "Tell me, has your eyesight started to go?"

Did he just say…? No, that was impossible, there was no way Kakashi had the Mangekyou. He couldn't know about its side effects. Itachi was the only one in generations to have acquired it. Was he bluffing?

Itachi wasn't going to let it get the better of him though. Not until he saw _him_ again.

XXXXX

"Graaah!"

Four on one and still Neji couldn't help but feel they were at a disadvantage. A mere swing of Kisame's sword was pelting him with bullets of water that cut his skin, marring his pale, delicate features. Even Guy-sensei and Lee were being batted around like ragdolls and Tenten's projectiles were swatted aside just from the breeze kicked up from the sword blows. They couldn't waste time. The more this fight dragged on the more worn out they'd be and they didn't have a thing on this man's stamina.

"Tenten, Lee!"

Neji made a quick gesture with his hand, signaling to his teammates. They nodded and went to action immediately. Tenten and Lee went around Kisame's sides as Guy-sensei kept pressuring him. Neji, meanwhile, ceased trying to keep afloat and just sunk to the bottom. It was a gamble considering how their opponent was a master of Suiton, but it wasn't as risky as Lee or Guy-sensei using the Lotus technique.

Neji readied himself. He felt bad using his teammates as a distraction, but they all needed to put their lives on the line. He calmed his nerves and concentrated everything on this one move. He still hadn't mastered it.

_Hakkeshou: Urakaiten Mou-uzu!_

Neji spun like a top, his Kaiten sucking in all the water in the surrounding vicinity and creating a vacuum. That was the signal for everyone to get away. The last time this was used, Neji accidentally caused enough collateral damage to have the fee for a mission halved. All that Kisame could do was look in bewilderment as he saw Neji concentrating liters of water into his hands.

_Hakke: Kawashou!_

A concentrated stream of water fired from Neji's hands. Worse than a fire hose, it did not pulverize or push, it _cut_. Kisame was sent flying by the sheer force of the blast, his body wrecked with the move.

With the creator beaten, the water that had come from him dissipated. Neji fell to his knees, the strain of the fight and having to pull off a complicated maneuver like that putting a drain on his reserves.

"Very good, Neji, we owe you." Guy-sensei gave his student a hearty pat on the back.

"Gah! Easy, I still haven't gotten used to this. Plus it was still sloppy. If I'd been better I would have sliced him in two without him budging."

"Oh woe is you, mister genius." Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Sensei!" Lee called to them, looking at the body. "You really need to take a look at this!"

The three of them went to the crater that Kisame's body had made on impact from the force of Neji's blow. However, the body in the ground wasn't Kisame. He had the man's build, but not his distinct complexion or sharp teeth. He was even lacking the Kirigakure emblem.

"What the hell…?"

XXXXX

Naruto knew he needed to keep cool, but that was easier said than done. Itachi was in front of him. Itachi, the entire reason behind Sasuke leaving. And now he was implicit in Gaara's kidnapping. Naruto's blood was boiling. He could feel his very chakra seer like acid inside him. He couldn't take it anymore. He thought he was going to feel fear when he saw Itachi, but not at all. All he had in him now was pure, unrelenting rage. He was gonna break every bone in this bastard's body!

_Kage Bunshin!_

He went to corner Itachi, preventing a retreat from any direction. Above, behind, front, from the sides, every area was covered. However, his opponent was still Uchiha Itachi. In the blink of an eye, Itachi countered three of the clones, grabbing one by the collar as it approached him for a grapple, proceeding to swing it against two others like he was smacking them with a club. Naruto could have sworn he was grinning.

Not one to just stop, Naruto instead went even fiercer. His eyes burned, pupils becoming slit and red and his whiskers flaring up. He began to tap into the power of the Nine Tails. Itachi was still swift though, casually dodging strike after strike in spite of Naruto's renewed assault.

"Hyaaah!"

Sakura flew in, aiming at Itachi's head. At the very least he was finally forced to block. It did him little good though, his arm crumpling under the sheer force that Sakura exhibited. It sent him flying right towards Kakashi who already had a move prepared.

_Raiton: Dairaiyari!_

As it named entailed, a giant lance of electricity flew from Kakashi's hands and shot through Itachi's back and out of his chest. However, Naruto was certain he wasn't imagining things now. That bastard _was_ grinning.

XXXXX

"Welcome back." Kisame said as Itachi's consciousness returned to their current location. In actuality their real bodies were nowhere near the Leaf nin.

"I was hoping to go on for a bit longer. That technique is good for keeping us out of the way, but it limits my movepool drastically. How did it go with you?"

"Bah, I got hasty and angry too quickly. That beast bastard couldn't even remember my name."

"Guy-san never was the sharpest tool."

"At least we delayed them, if only briefly. We still have a long time ahead of us."

The clock was still ticking. A pity Itachi hadn't been able to be at that fight in person. Uzumaki Naruto…he was truly going to be an interesting specimen.

XXXXX

Translations for original techniques:

_Hakkeshou: Urakaiten Mou-uzu –_ Eight Trigrams Palm: Reverse Revolving Heaven Fierce Vortex

_Hakke: Kawashou _– Eight Trigrams: River Palm

_Raiton: Dairaiyari_ – Lightning Release: Great Lightning Spear


	8. Scroll 7

Scroll Seven: Mistakes

After the nonstop running and having to fend off Itachi's bizarre, body-hopped clone, the group finally took a chance to rest. Could they afford it they could have kept going for a few hours more, but even Naruto's stamina had its limits. They settled in a grove deep in the forest and made camp.

Naruto, despite his exhaustion, couldn't sleep. His mind was just working too much, thinking back to Itachi. That bastard…just how many people did he have to make miserable until he was satisfied?

"Naruto, are you still awake?" Sakura put some more wood on the fire, bringing a bit more light to the camp.

"Unfortunately." He would like nothing better than to go to sleep right now.

"Well, I would try to help, but it's better to go to sleep naturally. Besides, there are some things I'd like to talk about."

"Like what?"

"Well, about those _things_ inside of you and Gaara."

"The old man told me a lot over our trip, but I still didn't get a lot of it." Naruto sat up, thinking that perhaps getting all that junk data inside out would help him sleep. "Plus even he had to admit there are some things he's not completely sure of with them. The problem is the lack of knowledge of a motive. The Akatsuki don't let anyone in easy and they got some of their own spies here and there."

"If you want to guess a motive, you go with the simplest and most obvious one: they want to use the Beasts as weapons."

Well, even Naruto could have guessed that. Jiraiya had told him a lot about the Beasts during their journey. For as long as people had recorded history the Beasts had walked the earth. It was difficult to guess their origins, a lot of it being grounded in old myths and folklore that stretched back for thousands of years. However, Jiraiya had also told Naruto about what people would sometimes try to do with the Beasts: tame them. Or leash them.

Naruto could see the point. He had felt the Nine-tails chakra time and time again and that was a mere fraction of what the thing was capable. A living natural disaster was a good idea for a weapon. In theory, anyway.

"They're just too unstable though." Naruto thought out loud. "I mean, Gaara was a ticking time bomb before he got better. Who does that to a newborn kid?"

"I did."

Chiyo came from the bushes, having stepped out for a bit previously. Naruto didn't think it was possible for Chiyo to look older than she already was, but she did it. More than that she looked worn, tired, her beady little eyes forlorn.

"You…_you _did that to him?" Naruto managed to say it through clenched teeth.

"Yes, my clan has always excelled in sealing arts, along with medical techniques and puppetry. That's why, when the Kazekage's wife went into labor prematurely, I was the midwife at the delivery. And the one…who sealed that demon into Gaara."

It was taking everything Naruto had to not strike the small elder standing before him. His nails dug into his palms, tight enough to where he was drawing blood. He managed to have enough composure to keep his civility intact.

"Why?"

"As Sakura here said, the Beasts are ideal weapons. Time and time again, people have tried to harness them in case of a war. However, can you tame a hurricane or an earthquake? No, it's ridiculous to try. Just using the Beasts directly always ended in failure, their would-be tamers often being destroyed in the aftermath."

"So they devised a different solution then." Sakura always picked up on things quickly.

"Yes, the Beasts themselves were a no-go, but then a clan from the Land of Whirlpools devised an odd technique. Through complex, powerful rituals the Beasts' chakra could be compressed and sealed into a human. It was a brilliant idea. Volunteers offered themselves as vessels. But then foolish men happened once again."

"…How many have there been?" Naruto asked.

"For us, including Gaara, Shuukaku has had three containers. A jinchuuriki has to be selected carefully. Compatibility is key as an unfit vessel always ends in disaster."

"How do you remove one of them?"

"It's possible to do so with proper time and preparation, but it's never ended well. Gaara's predecessors had Shuukaku removed and died within the hour of extraction. And that was with the extraction being voluntary and prepared ahead of time."

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and violently took hold of Chiyo's collar. Choking with rage he glared right into her eyes. He didn't see an ounce of defense in them. She knew what she had done.

"You did this to him. You…you _stupid_ old farts. Don't you ever LEARN!?"

"The old never do, Naruto. All we do are the same things our forefathers did."

"Why? Why did you do that to a newborn child?"

"Because I thought the same thing as everyone else before me: 'it'll be different. I won't make the same mistakes, I'm better than they were, I'm smarter, I'm more clever, I have new things they didn't have.' But the cycle went on."

"Naruto," Kakashi finally came back from circling the perimeter and laying traps "there is no point to this. What's done is _done_."

He let go of Chiyo, though his anger was still swelling. He wasn't done yet.

"All you ever do, all that you dumbasses ever do is screw up and mess things up. And we, the kids, the ones who were never supposed to be a part of it, are the ones who suffer."

"Yeah, and I've made a lot more mistakes than most. But I don't intend to make any more."

Chiyo took first watch for sentry duty. After that debacle no one was in the mood to talk. Naruto feel asleep after awhile. Chiyo couldn't help but think of the two boys that she was going to see tomorrow.

Where had she gone wrong? She knew she could never replace Sasori's parents, her own son and her daughter-in-law who died by the White Fang and was even robbed of the chance to avenge them. Did she…did she just not love him enough?

Was this retribution? Her whole life had been a succession of failures and misery. Her family torn apart, her grandson a murderer and a monster, and her unwillingness to question her Kage when he ordered her to seal a vicious demon into his own son was now causing this. Was this price she paid for being a shinobi?

That boy, Uzumaki Naruto…he was right. She could only imagine what being the holder of the Nine-Tails was like. Never once had she tried to aid the child she doomed to a fate of isolation and pain. And if she never put that thing in him, he wouldn't be a target of madmen. She had enough of it. It was time to own up.

_Sasori, no matter how tomorrow ends, it will be our last day together_

XXXXX

Neji and his team were flying like mad. Their fight with Kisame had lost them valuable time and they had to redouble their efforts in order to make it to the rendezvous point. They could still make it, they had enough time to get to Gaara if they ran as fast as they could.

They had gotten past the forests awhile ago and now were in the deep river valleys. Just from the lack of sound Neji knew something was wrong. Not even a bird in the sky or a cicada's loud clicking despite it being in the dead of summer. His Byakugan was on at all times, long since having been able to mitigate the chakra drain and physical strain. Far ahead he caught sight of figures moving through the trees.

"Sensei! Kakashi's group is approaching from the north! We should be on them in a few minutes!"

"Good, do you notice anything else suspicious?"

"No, there's no else around for kilometers and I don't see any barriers or objects out of place."

"Be ready for anything."

"Even me?"

How in the world their guest managed to sneak up on _Neji_ failed to register, but standing right next to him was a narrow-eyed, ponytailed man in a black cloak. Neji went to retaliate, but he struck nothing but air. Reaching into his cloak, the man threw out a kunai that landed on the ground. With a quick snap of his fingers the ground shook and suddenly the five of them were trapped in a pentagonal barrier. The only one outside of it was Pakkun.

"Guys!"

"Get to Kakashi and tell him we'll be there as soon as we take care of this!" Guy-sensei ordered. "There's no way in hell he's taking out an Akatsuki before me."

He just couldn't resist turning this into a contest, Neji thought. Oh well, it gave him extra motivation.

Tenten responded first, having whipped out one of her scrolls the second the man showed up and fired off a series of kunai in rapid succession. Not a single one hit, the man pulling a naginata out of thin air and deflecting them right back at her. Had she moved an inch they would have hit instead of merely grazing her. This guy was just plain showing off.

"So, you're the other group that they sent." The man spoke and then bowed. "A pleasure to meet you all, my name is Shuu."

"Well, if you're giving your name, then I'm Might Guy!"

Combining his introduction with a charge, Guy-sensei went flying with nunchaku in hand. He missed, if barely. The ground that he struck cracked.

"And I'm Rock Lee!"

A Leaf Whirlwind was aimed right at Shuu's head. And he managed to deflect it just by guiding Lee's leg away with a mere tilt of his halberd's haft. Not one to let a deviation deter him, Lee lashed out with his fist and managed to brush Shuu's face.

Idiots, they couldn't afford to play this fair and square. They had to keep moving!

Neji's eyes flared up and he immediately went into his stance. He was going for the kill blow immediately. Luckily, with it being four on one, the Akatsuki was in range.

_Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou!_

It never went off. Shuu managed to slip away from Guy-sensei and Lee to send Neji skidding back with a vicious strike to the solar plexus. The wind was knocked out of Neji so hard his Byakugan deactivated. That man…he stopped Neji's killshot?

"If you want a stop a move, make sure it never starts." The man smugly informed Neji.

Shuu's eyes opened, revealing a pair of electric blue pools. Neji did _not_ like that look he was being given. With Kisame, his presence had been booming, like a thundercloud. This man though…his presence was sickening, making a ball of anxiety and dread build in Neji's gut. He then turned his attention to Guy-sensei.

"Might Guy...I'll apologize to Kisame-san later."

"Who?"

XXXXX

Gaara was in a white void, nothing as far as the eye could see. Before it had been blackness. It felt so odd, nostalgic, warm.

_Gaara…_

A voice that he heard and not called out to him. But still, just more endless white. He felt it though, he wasn't alone. What was going on?

_I'm here, Gaara. My little Gaara…_

Something embraced him, holding him close, tight. It felt…warm. What was this? He felt like he was needed by it. He, who no one ever wanted.

_Shh, shh, shh, shhhhhhh it's alright_

This warmth, this affection, why did it feel so familiar to him? He, who always alone, always unneeded, what would make someone feel this way towards him? He returned the embrace, lost in its warmth and love.

XXXXX

"It's done." Pain announced as the last of Shuukaku's chakra was pulled into the statue.

Gaara fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. And not a moment too soon because they had guests who had just broken down the front door.

"Deidara, Sasori, dispose of the intruders. And take the Nine-Tails boy alive."

"He's a blond-haired lad with whiskers on his cheeks." Itachi told them. "He'll lose his temper the quickest."

"Ahhhh, three days of this and I finally get some action, hm."

"Sorry if we get your target, Itachi."

The meeting adjourned right as the group entered. Deidara had been listless and now he was looking to finally have some fun. He saw them, the famous Copycat Ninja Kakashi, a pink-haired girl, an old woman, a boy.

"You bastards….!" His eyes shifted from cool blue to violent red. Yeah, that was definitely the Jinchuuriki.

"Mind if I take him, Master Sasori, hm?"

"Tch, it's two Beasts per team and you already got yours." They began to argue.

"C'mon, I need some inspiration. The Nine-Tails is prime quality too, hm."

"Your explosions are art? You really are impetuous. Art needs to be everlasting, beautiful."

Naruto was getting sick of those two acting so nonchalantly. Pulling out a scroll, he summoned a shuriken to hand. If those two weren't going to act first, he sure as hell would. The metal throwing star flew…though it was deflected by Sasori who wasn't even looking.

"Deidara, I'm not in the mood to argue." Sasori's tone was nasty.

"Chill out, master, hm. Besides, I got a better way to take this load." Deidara's clay bird scooped Gaara into its mouth. "Later."

Deidara flew out of the entrance on his mount, prompting Naruto to follow without a bit of hesitation. Kakashi cursed, hoping that Guy's team could finish up that fight.

Sakura and Chiyo were left with Sasori. Sakura swallowed deeply. She knew just from looking at him that the gap between the two of them was enormous. Experience, kills, this guy was like a lion before Sakura's cub.

"It's been awhile, Grandma." Sasori spoke, his tone back to a civil one.

"Yes, about twenty years, I reckon."

"I've been perfecting what you taught me all those years ago. I don't think you could even touch me." The bladed tail snaked out from Sasori's robes. "I would like to take my time, but I have to teach my stupid partner a lesson in humility, so I'm just going to get this over with. With the two of you, my collection will be an even three-hundred."

"Sakura, that is _not_ Sasori's real body." Chiyo informed her. "It's Hiruko, an old favorite puppet of his."

"Heh, glad I got paired with you."

"It's a tad different from the one I remember, but the base it probably the same. Tsunade has given you superhuman strength so one good whack should split him open like a melon on a trip to the beach." She gave the girl a pat on the back. "Just keep up with me!"

The two of them began. While Sasori was definitely an expert, even his experience paled to Chiyo. And Sakura needed to show that she wasn't the same, spoiled little brat from before. She was putting her life on the line.


	9. Scroll 8

Scroll Eight: Three Way

Damned Naruto, running off half-cocked, thought Kakashi. He barely managed to get a hold of his student before he ended doing something horrendously stupid instead of the normal stupid.

"Naruto, cut it out!" He snapped, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back.

"Sensei, we need to chase him!"

"I know, he wants us to do that anyway, but you have to keep a clear head. Jiraiya told me all about what happened during your training, including _that _incident."

"Dammit." Naruto breathed deep. He was still pumping adrenaline and pissed as hell, but he was calmer. "I'm sorry, what do you want me to do?"

"Judging by the report we got and the data we heard, Deidara is a long-ranged fighter. He excels at keeping us away, which means he's probably cripplingly underequipped for a melee fight. Plus it looks like he lost an arm to Gaara, only making his disadvantage worse."

"How do we get in though?"

"Well, that's where I come in. You're a brawler, so be ready to move in for the kill when the time comes. It's gonna take me time to prep it because of my chakra."

"Gotcha."

Naruto and Kakashi headed after Deidara's giant clay bird. They hurried, but Kakashi had to ready himself. Were it not for Deidara keeping such a distance Kakashi would have used the Dairaiyari to swat him down. The problem was that technique had limits, being best suited for mid range. He also couldn't discount the possibility that Deidara had been informed the day before.

No, Kakashi needed to use one of his only original moves. It was time for Kamui.

XXXXX

"RAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Guy-sensei gave a roar befitting his moniker. He finally managed to land a blow on Shuu, sending the man skyward. Lee, not even needing a signal, flew into the air as if to spike the Akatsuki member like in a volleyball match.

Shuu read him though, discarding his naginata by throwing it. Lee twisted his torso, the blade only managing to make a flesh wound. He thought they had an opening. _Thought._

The polearm came flying back, missing Lee, but giving Shuu a foothold in the air. He just stood in mid-air, observing the four Leaf ninjas before him.

"I must say, this is quite fun." Shuu spoke, almost mocking them just by doing so. "If I weren't under orders to kill you I think I might be getting a little attached."

"Shut _up._"

Tenten set off another one of her scrolls, this time using a thick, steel chain to try and restrain him. Despite the lengthy coil zipping along as a blur, Shuu merely dropped off his foothold and back to the ground. Luckily, Tenten had been anticipating that. She managed to get the links wrapped around his naginata and get it out of the reach his hand. Were she not in the middle of a fight, she would be drooling over its exquisite craftsmanship. He was disarmed now, losing a big advantage.

Guy-sensei, Lee, and Neji went in for the kill. Neji was ready with his Juuken from the right and Lee and Guy-sensei were coming in from above and behind. They had him.

But then the three of them were suddenly avoiding some bizarre contraption that slithered out from Shuu. Neji managed to avoid it, feeling a blade kiss his cheek while Lee and Guy-sensei were soon nursing gashes on their arms. They backed away from the maelstrom of death as soon as they got a chance, wondering what the hell just happened. Like a dancer, Shuu was spinning. In his hand was a sword hilt and the blade was segmented and connected by wires, like a whip. Tenten's eyes widened, having heard of those rare swords but never seeing one personally.

"Like it?" Shuu grinned smugly. "It's called a hebitou, only thirteen of them exist in the entire world. This one was quite pricy. It took me half a year to-"

Could this guy monologue about _anything_? Tenten pitched several bombs at him, though with a deft flick of his wrist he sliced them in half. He was recognizing Tenten as a nuisance and aimed directly for her. However, a splash of blood hit her just as something flew in front of her.

"NEJI!"

"I'm fine, it didn't hit anything vital."

Neji had to admit, getting something shot through his shoulder the second time wasn't as bad. But he noticed it. Shuu had changed his trajectory at the last second. He saw Neji coming, but didn't choose to go for the killing blow. He didn't get why, but that thick cloak of Shuu's was blocking his sight somehow. He couldn't see his coils and he couldn't tell what he was carrying under it. Still, Neji had an idea.

"Tenten, we need to get rid of his arsenal." Neji whispered. "He's probably like you in that he's got a lot of scrolls hidden in that heavy cloak of his."

"I got the perfect thing for that." she slipped him a scroll. "Just one thing."

"Yeah?"

"You owe me a nice dinner when we get back."

"You got it."

Neji, despite his shoulder being wrecked, charged at Shuu. He disliked the idea of emulating Guy-sensei and Lee, but it had its appeal. Shuu backed off, which led him to the waiting fists of Guy-sensei and Lee.

_Sou Renge!_

Even an Akatsuki would be scared of that. The air pressure displaced from Guy and Lee was enough to knock him off balance. And Neji shoved the little trinket Tenten had given him against Shuu.

Shuu at first thought he'd been struck by the Juuken…until no pain came. But then he smelled a strange, pungent scent coming from his cloak. He recognized that smell. And only just noticed a spark hitting him square in the chest

His cloak lit up like torch and was engulfed in flames. They finally got rid of his arsenal, Shuu being forced to discard his cloak. He was bare-chested now, revealing a wiry, but solid frame of honed muscle. His skin and hair were a little scorched from the fire, but he was otherwise undamaged. However, all he did was grin.

"If you wanted to see everything, you could have just asked."

He flexed the fingers on his right hand and in an instant he was holding three, hook-bladed knives between his fingers and an iron claw in his left.

XXXXX

Sasori made the first move against Sakura and Chiyo. His puppet's mouth fired a barrage of poisoned, iron needles. It wasn't just medical techniques she'd learned, Tsunade busted her ass as a fighter too. As usual though, punching stuff proved to be more versatile than it seemed. The force of Sakura striking the earth created a smoke screen, deflecting some of the projectiles. Chiyo was doing fine, having read the needles' trajectory and just kept moving forward, even throwing out kunai. All it took was one punch. All that Sakura needed to do was get in and land one, solid hit.

Something flew into view just as Sakura resumed her charge. Sasori had fired the left arm of his puppet. No time to do her ground-pound trick again, she had to dodge. The arm exploded like a grenade, filling the air with shrapnel again and a piercing bang.

"Tch, even the brat dodged them." Sasori growled.

Sakura was just as surprised as he was. She had expected to get grazed at least, but she wasn't complaining. Sasori had used up his two long-range techniques so there was no way Sakura was passing this up. Feinting, she kept an eye on that giant tail of his as she made her move. She could make it, he didn't even have it aimed at her and she was just two body lengths away. Almost there…

Sasori's tail went for the kill, going right for Sakura's heart. However, he noticed it…jammed. Oh hell…

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

With a punch that would have made Lee and Guy blush, Sakura smashed Sasori's armored body into dust. Reinforced plating and thick armor were obliterated before the force of Sakura's blow. Just as he strike landed something flew out, retreating to the back of the cave. Was that his real body, Sakura thought? A chuckle came from the black cloak, a very different voice than Sakura had been hearing before.

"Well, I should have guessed it before." Sasori said. "That pat on the back wasn't just for encouragement, was it?"

Damn, he knew already. Chiyo had placed chakra threads on Sakura just before the fight started for extra insurance. Chiyo, being Sasori's teacher, could assist Sakura. Even at her old age her fingers were steady.

"Very good, being able to figure that out in an instant. You really are my grandson. But I'm done playing, Sasori. You're overdue for a spanking."

"If you can get that close." Sasori removed his cloak and revealed a face far too youthful from what Chiyo had been saying.

"Chiyo-baasama, is that really Sasori?"

"No doubt about it, it's definitely my grandson. Don't know how he managed to age so gracefully though."

"Like I said, that which is everlasting is true beauty. So let me show you a most exquisite example of that."

Sasori removed a scroll, summoning another puppet. Unlike Hiruko, this one wasn't abstract or odd. Even Kankurou's puppets had looked odder, Sasori's just being a humanoid with a head of black hair. However, the look on Chiyo's face was that of sheer horror.

"The Third…Kazekage, the strongest of them all."

That didn't fill Sakura with confidence, but Chiyo responded in kind. Two puppets popped out from a pair of scrolls she had. Sakura couldn't help but notice the male one looked oddly like Sasori. The Akatsuki gave a hollow smirk.

"Well, this certainly is one heart-warming family reunion, isn't it?"

"Yes, Mother and Father are _very_ disappointed, Sasori."

Sakura was sweating bullets. These two had been waiting for this for a long time. As much of an outsider as she was, she had to help. Taking a syringe she had, she injected herself. She had three minutes to decide this.

XXXXX

Naruto and Kakashi weren't in the middle of a fight, it was a chase. Deidara was just toying with them, trying to keep them as far away from Sakura and Sasori as he could. He wasn't even giving it his all, just dropping down his bombs every now and again. His bird gave him enough speed to keep a fair distance, but he never gained too much. He always kept Naruto and Kakashi in line of sight.

"Goddammit, why did that stupid old man never teach me any long-ranged moves?"

"We'll definitely put that on the curriculum when this is over." Kakashi had to concentrate even while moving. Man, this technique was so unwieldy. Still it was the best chance they had. They couldn't afford to get further away from Sakura.

"Is it ready?"

"As ready it'll ever be." Kakashi's eyes flashed, the pattern of his Sharingan drastically changing. "Alright, let's hope this works…"

XXXXX

Just where in the _hell_ was Shuu hiding all those things? Disarming him was doing no good because as soon as one weapon was knocked away another took its place instantaneously. Spears, swords, axes, hammers, knives, daggers, clubs, whips, sickles, weapons Lee had never seen before, combinations of others, nearly every possible implement used for battle had been conjured by him and he just wouldn't run out. The battlefield was littered with metal, some of it Shuu's but also a lot of it Tenten's. Neji was wounded and getting worn out, the previous fight with that shark bastard still having taken a sizable chunk of chakra out of him. Lee and Guy-sensei could risk the Renge again, but it would probably take both of them using the higher Gates. And they still had two more Akatsuki after this. Such a big gamble.

Tenten, for the first time in awhile, was running out of ammo. Plus she'd been having trouble firing off her tools without her teammates covering her. Lee heard the report of explosions far off. Kakashi-san's team was no doubt in the middle of a battle themselves. They couldn't mess around anymore.

"You know, I can make it quick if you just ask." Shuu said as he was using the blade of a knife to clean the dirt out of his painted nails. "Besides, this is just getting sad now. I'd rather remember the lot of you when you didn't look like haggard dogs."

"Shut _up_!"

Guy-sensei went for another assault, but was stopped short as one of Shuu's discarded blades went flying on its own and landed square in his thigh. Guy-sensei still kept going though, even as Shuu kept bringing up more and more blades.

"Lee, Tenten!" Neji whispered.

"What?"

"I have a plan, but I need you to listen carefully. I don't know why, but he hasn't been aiming to kill me this whole time. I need you to trust me on this."

"I will. Just tell me what to do."

"Lee, get ready to bloom, Tenten, I need you to use _that_. This is going to be cutting it tight."

Guy kept moving forward, stuck with more metal than he had been in his entire life. They were just flesh wounds, nothing a good medical-nin couldn't fix. He covered his vitals and avoided anything that was large. He knew his students were cooking something up. The fact that they hadn't called to him meant he was doing what they needed. He'd be their shield. All he needed to do was trust in them.

Shuu sighed as Guy was closing the gap. With a flick, all the metal that he had implanted in Guy dislodged themselves, his wounds spurting red. Every discarded tool rose to the sky, positioning behind Shuu. Dozens, hundreds of blades, aiming right for Guy.

"Farewell, Might Guy."

Like a cannon they all shot straight at Guy. They never reached though as Neji threw himself in front of his sensei. The blades tickled him, drawing blood, but never going beyond breaking skin. If he had timed this wrong, the sword tip right next to his eye would have cost him dearly.

_Shoumon, open!_

Lee had his chance now. With four of the gates opened his speed was so quick that Shuu didn't even have time to block. Lee felt ribs crumple under his fist and sent Shuu slamming upward into his own barrier. He wasn't done. He would pay this man back tenfold

_Haru no Ho-ou!_

Kicking at rapid-fire speed, Lee assaulted Shuu, not giving him a chance to recover. Lee's muscles were straining, but he couldn't let up. Tenten still needed a few seconds.

Another blade whistled from below, aiming at Lee. He didn't care, letting it sink into the fleshiest part of his arm. Besides, Tenten was ready. He released the Renge and collapsed, landing ungracefully. And Tenten was kneeling, a sheathed blade in her hand ready to be drawn. It was always so hard to dodge in midair.

_Hissatsu: Bakuengiri!_

The second of the blade's drawing made the very air erupt into a violent explosion. The space of front of Tenten was blown away, hitting Shuu with the force of dozens of bombs. He went flying so far he landed in a river. If he was even alive, which was slim considering how the barrier dissipated, he was in no shape to bother them.

The team collapsed, exhausted after having dealt with something like that. Guy grinned and gave his students a thumbs-up.

"Well done, guys, we're having a big dinner on me when we get back home."

"Ah man, Dad's gonna _kill me_…." Tenten despaired seeing that the sword she used had been chipped with the use of that technique.

"It's a small price to pay. We need to get to Kakashi."

"Sensei, I think we're too banged up to be of much help." Lee groaned. The Renge wasn't as bad as before, but it always made him sore.

"Still, a little help is better than none. They're counting on us."

XXXXX

Translations:

Sou Renge: Twin Lotus

Haru no Ho-Ou: Spring Phoenix

Hissatsu: Bakuengiri: Certain Death: Explosive Flame Slash


	10. Scroll 9

Scroll Nine: Dance of the Karakuri

This was no longer a battle between humans, this was a puppet theater. Chiyo cursed herself at being such a good teacher to Sasori. The puppets in the guise of Sasori's parents were packed to the gills with weapons. She could no longer guide Sakura either, her full attention needing to be focused on dealing with the Third Kazekage.

It was sickening, turning a human into a puppet. She had heard of the dark, amoral art when in times of war. There was no better way to capitalize on an opponent's strengths by adding one to your roster. And if they didn't need to be alive to do so it was even better. Still, it filled her with disgust.

From the Kazekage's mouth poured a cloud of blackness, surrounding him and Sasori. The Iron Sand, the technique that made the Third Kazekage revered as the strongest shinobi the village ever knew. No doubt Sasori had made some modifications to this as well, never one to be satisfied with something that was fine even from the beginning.

"Sakura, you're on your own." She whispered. "But no matter what, don't get hit. All it'll take is one scratch for death to get you."

"Hey, I may not have fancy weapons, but I have my master's techniques and her utter contempt for losing."

"Watch out for the sand, my puppets are rigged properly to counteract such measures, but you can't use metal weapons with him due to magnetic forces."

"Perfect, I was taught to just pummel things anyway."

All it took was one punch, she assured herself. The black cloud Sasori's puppet conjured began to take a proper shape. Within seconds there were spears of black iron raining down on them. Chiyo dodged while simultaneously making her puppets go on the offensive. Allowing her to act like a one-woman team, she went to pincer Sasori with her puppets. No such luck, the Iron Sand forming a shield to repel the ceramic blades and projectiles that the puppets fired. Still Sakura was there.

With him devoting so much attention to Chiyo, he had let Sakura slip. He created another wall of iron sand to impede her, but all that made her do was strike it, sending it flying towards Sasori. Even he was astounded by just how much of a nuisance that girl was proving to be.

"Alright, enough!"

The Kazekage's full, undivided attention was now on Sakura. Once again the Iron Sand began to form, this time spreading and dividing, like a thorn bush.

_Satetsu Kaihou!_

It shredded the cave like paper, the ceiling collapsing. The Kazekage was one of his strongest puppets, able to take down entire squads of ANBU or Jounin. There was no way they were getting up after that.

The dust settled, Chiyo lying on her back. Her puppets were damaged, the Iron Sand having gotten into their joints. And the girl was bleeding. Just a scratch was enough, obvious from how she collapsed. It would be enough to leave her as she was, the poison having immobilized her and was working through her system. But Sasori had enough leaving things unfinished. The Kazekage flew, its bladed arms ready to shred her to pieces.

Just one punch.

The puppet shattered, Sasori's most prized possession now reduced to a useless heap of scrap from the force of Sakura's fist. The Iron Sand fell limply to the ground, covering the floor in a layer of black. He grit his teeth.

"You…you little _bitch_!" It had caused him nothing but grief taking down that man ten years ago in order to collect his corpse. And now his efforts were gone.

"Heh heh, not so scary now that its strings have been cut." She began tending to her wounds, the cuts from the Iron Sand closing.

"Sakura, you immunized yourself?"

"Yeah, but I've got a minute and a half tops. I have a shot for you, but I don't think he's gonna let me use another."

"You're right, I won't."

Sasori removed his robe, revealing just why he had aged so well. That was not a human body any longer. A torso made of reinforced ceramic emblazoned with the kanji for his name, a thick cable wrapped inside the cavity of his abdomen, extra arms on his back that were equipped with blades, and those were only the obvious ones. No doubt he had more tricks.

"It's been a long time since I used myself, and this. Be honored."

He took out a scroll and opened a cavity in his chest. From it flew a multitude of strings, each one of them connected to a separate puppet.

"To require me to use a technique that took out a country, I must be getting dull."

How many were there; thirty, maybe fifty? No two were the same, ranging in shapes from humanoid to bestial, some having multiple heads, no heads, strange, alien limbs, and some perfect recreations of people, others as strange as could be.

Chiyo did the same, summoning ten puppets, one for each finger. It wasn't the same as Sasori's numbers, but it was help. It was them versus an army; this was the final act. And they had to win.

XXXXX

Deidara had probably been screwing around too much, admittedly. It was actually a bit boring fighting brawlers who had no proper way to deal with him. He'd occasionally do a run, but he was always too high for them to counter. Did they really not have anything? He found it hard to believe that the famous Kakashi was lacking in long-range or didn't know how to do long-range attacks. In fact, he'd gotten nothing from either of them for the past minute. They couldn't have just given up already.

This was getting boring. Besides, he was running out of clay and there was a Jinchuuriki right in front of him. He was going to bag that boy by the end of the day.

He had enough to finish the job. At this range, with their lack of defenses against Deidara's fire power they were outclassed. And Master Sasori was even stronger than Deidara. The girl and the old woman were probably lying dead right now. As for Shuu, he could only imagine how badly his targets looked. Time to wrap this up.

However, something…well, Deidara didn't know what it was, but he felt something _pull_ him. His bird went off course for a bit, stumbling through the air drunkenly.

"The hell, hm!?" He managed to regain control, righting himself.

Was there a third one he hadn't seen? He didn't have time to look, that bizarre sensation once again coming. And this time it was concentrated around his remaining arm.

"Son of a bitch!"

He couldn't get out of it. Space warped, drawing him in further and further in like a vacuum. He knew this sensation, it was doujutsu. Shit, that stupid bloodline irritating him again. This was gonna suck.

With a massive pull, Deidara managed to avoid getting sucked in, but now he was down another arm. He took back what he said to Master Sasori, now evaluating this as the worst injury in his entire life.

Kakashi winced, his Sharingan straining his chakra reserves along with a migraine on its way. He had meant to get Deidara right in the chest, but was miles off. He couldn't test this often, so he had no idea the full extent of its ins and outs. No matter though, the plan was already in motion.

Despite being disarmed, Deidara was far from helpless. He'd been through plenty of situations where he had been unable to use his hands. That Kakashi bastard and the Jinchuuriki were going to….wait, where was the kid?

_Rasengan!_

Just out of the corner of his eye, Deidara managed to catch a flash of orange. He leapt off his ride, letting the kid have his catch. There was no point in having that corpse anyway besides bait.

"Gaara, Gaara!"

Naruto peeled open the bird's head, revealing a prone Gaara. Oh god, he couldn't be, Naruto thought. Naruto checked his pulse. No, it was faint, but he was still there. Every inch of Naruto burned. Where was that bombing bastard? Naruto wanted to find him and pound him into gravy.

"Your ass is mine!" He declared, looking around for a shock of black or blonde in the tree cover.

Deidara knew better, having retreated into the bushes. The kid was strong, but he sure as hell wasn't observant. Deidara had to admit he lost this fight. There was no point in continuing this.

However, just as Deidara turned around, he saw four people Shuu should have taken care of. This was the worst day of Deidara's life. _Ever_.

Guy went for a hook, though the strain from the previous fight had worn him down. Deidara fled, avoiding a barrage of shuriken and kunai from Tenten and a Kuushou or two from Neji that tore out chunks of tree trunks. They gave chase, pincering him with the timely arrival of Kakashi.

"You're late, Guy!"

"But it came at the cost of winning the challenge!"

"I don't remember accepting that!"

Deidara went to his downed bird. Everybody was hesitant to move, knowing that a cornered animal was always one of the worst things to deal with. However, Deidara did something highly unexpected: he chomped down on his bird and swallowed the clay it was made of.

"Heh heh, you got front row seats! My art…IS A BLAST!"

"Run!" Neji yelled, having seen with his Byakugan just what in the world was going on. Chakra was concentrating at a single point in Deidara's body. It was mixing and convulsing, converging together in a violent crescendo.

However, just as soon as it started, it never came. Neji's group was trying to outrun the blast, but nobody was capable of that from that distance. But the blast never reached them, in fact imploding to its point of origin. Something sucked in gigatons of force, drawing it into a point in space. Neji managed to catch a glimpse of it, but wasn't sure what it was he saw.

"Gah…" Kakashi winced; firing that off three times in one day was pushing it.

"What was that?" Guy asked.

"Kamui, a new technique I whipped up. Get caught in it, you're getting sucked into another dimension."

"Truly spectacular." Guy grinned.

"Sensei!" Naruto yelled. "I'm headed back to Sakura-chan and Chiyo-baasan!"

"How's Gaara? You shouldn't be moving him!"

"Well I don't have much choice, he's fading fast! And Sakura-chan and Chiyo-baasan could use help!"

"Neji, you're the most qualified to administer emergency first-aid due to your Juuken." Guy ordered. "Tenten, Lee, stay behind to guard the Kazekage and Kakashi. Naruto, I'll go with you. If anything happens we can be backup."

Naruto really hoped Sakura and the old woman were finished.

XXXXX

Sakura had never witnessed a fight like this in her entire life. This was straight out of legend. Chiyo and Sasori weren't warriors, they were artists. Their puppets flew through the air, not battling but dancing. It was like the world's most visceral puppet show.

Sasori favored brute force, trying to overwhelm Sakura and Chiyo with numbers. Still they pushed forward. Chiyo, far more experienced, had fought against high numbers many times. The tactics were usually the same. She knew her puppets weren't coming out of here in one piece, so she put everything she had into all out offense. Blades shredded and pierced, implements smashed and ground, explosives fired, poisons bellowed in deadly clouds or seeped as liquids, and were it not for the victims being puppets, this would have been the most visceral massacre in the history of the Country of Wind.

Sakura kept the timer in her head going, sixty seconds until her antidote wore off. Like Chiyo, she concentrated on mitigating damage. She was already avoiding one of the medical-nin tenants. She didn't care, there was no choice. And besides, her trump card let her get away with breaking the rules anyway.

Another puppet burst like a melon under the force of Sakura's fists. Still, as soon as it shattered it pelted her with needles. They were a nuisance, always giving her a load of paper cuts that stung. Fifty seconds.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Sasori wasn't one to be a spectator or just the puppeteer, he was right in the middle. One of Chiyo's puppets fell, ripped limb from limb by Sasori's own creations before his bladed arms shredded it. Sakura went for a strike, hoping to put an end to him quickly, but Sasori flew apart and then reformed some distance from her. From his palms came a deluge of liquid fire, turning the stone she had stood on into goop. She had gained nothing. Forty seconds.

Black robes and limbs fell to the ground, piling on top of one another. Sakura had to get rid of Sasori. Or at least give Chiyo an opening. The old woman took a slash to her arm. Thirty seconds.

"Chiyo-baasama!"

"Don't worry about me, just get ready for the kill!"

One of Chiyo's puppets fired something from his mouth before being run though by five of Sasori's puppets and promptly self-destructing. Sakura caught the object and threw it as Sasori. With her enhanced strength there was no way he could dodge that. Twenty seconds

Sasori was pinned to a wall by the huge, sculpted face that the ball had become. Chiyo collapsed, her puppets wrecked and Sasori's equally decimated.

"He's going nowhere, that seal completely stops chakra. And a puppeteer who can't use their puppets has already lost."

Ten seconds, Sakura thought. She made it out with time to spare.

"Chiyo-baasama, take the-!"

A blade pierced Sakura through the chest. Just enough to touch her heart, cold steel ran her through. It was then that she noticed that "Sasori" was a shell. Zero seconds. But she wasn't going down gentle.

Sakura kept a hold on the sword, keeping Sasori from withdrawing it. She was getting dizzy, Sasori's venom having been coated onto the blade. Dammit, she never thought she'd have to use her trump card.

_Byakugou no In, release!_

The symbol on her head expanded, coiling down her face and spreading throughout her body. It was keeping him at bay, closing around the blade. Still, the poison was making chakra control difficult. She was fighting the poison just as quickly as it was gaining. But the chakra drain was enormous. She couldn't even muster a final punch due to having to concentrate on the wound in her chest. No wonder Master used it after a fight. Crap, she was passing…

Sakura felt a slight jab in her thigh. Chiyo had inoculated her again.

"Chiyo-baa…"

The pain was bad, forcing Sakura to her knees. Sasori let her fall, leaving behind his arm to reveal a hidden blade. He went in for the kill, but never landed. The first two puppets Sasori ever made, spitting images of his lost parents, embraced him as they ran him through. Sasori, despite being a puppet, bled.

"When did you…?" He asked his grandmother.

"I wondered why you had your name signed on your chest. I suppose it's a typical artist's vanity to mark everything, including themselves. Had you truly been a puppet you wouldn't have been able to move, so you had to use a core." Chiyo went to administer aid to Sakura, removing the blade from her chest.

"It's no use, she's lost too much blood."

"She's already taken care of the external wounds. I'm just giving her some of my own juice."

A life transfer technique, Sasori had heard of it. By transferring some of their own essence, miracles could be wrought. But the closer the patient was to death, the more the user had to transfer. Chiyo had lucked out, Sakura having lost a lot of blood but not enough for Chiyo's own life to be in danger.

"Originally, I had meant this for you." Chiyo said.

"Did you think…that you could bring back the dead?"

"I am sorry, Sasori. I am sorry that you were raised by a woman as wretched and pathetic as I."

"Then I guess me being born and becoming like this is your punishment."

"Uh…shut up, you freak…"

Sakura got up, clearly fine if she could insult Sasori who she promptly slugged in his plaster face. He merely chuckled.

"Go right ahead, there are no nerves in me. I can't even remember what pain was like."

"Is that why you did it? So you wouldn't have to feel sympathy, feel pain, feel love, what kind of human kills their heart!?"

"A shinobi." He grinned blankly, his eyes a pair of hollow pits. "If you think I'm a monster, then you don't know anything. You wanna know how many bodies my Grandma over there has walked over to survive? Next to her I'm a bodhisattva."

"…What the hell are you?"

"Just someone who thought they could become something else. I couldn't become a true puppet and I left behind too much of me to be human anymore. I guess you summed it up nicely already: I'm a _freak_."

He wasn't using it as a pejorative. This was a man who had long accepted his nature: as a monster, a murderer. He didn't lie, he didn't twist facts, and he knew what he was. And that was terrifying.

"Listen, girl, you know Itachi's little brother, don't you?" Sasori asked.

"What did you say?"

"Orochimaru was my old partner before Deidara and Shuu. He ran off with something of value and I was tasked to get it back so I kept my eyes on him. I think it was about…three months ago I finally got it back. Anyway, the last time I heard from an informant, she said this: 'watch out for ROOT' and 'keep an eye on Uzushiogakure.'"

"What does that mean?"

"Don't know. Sasuke is still fine. But he's not the same boy you knew."

"I don't care, I'll bring him back. You don't break a girl's heart and get away with it!"

"Heh heh, to think a lovestruck idiot beat me. Congratulations…"

Sasori fell to the ground at least, his strings cut. Chiyo looked at him, the last memory of her son and his family.

"Sakura-chan! Chiyo-baasan!"

XXXXX

They got to a field where Gaara was lying. Neji was doing everything he could, but his Juuken wasn't primarily a healing technique.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "Maybe if we got to him sooner, but…dammit."

"Sakura-chan, can't you do anything?"

"I spent every drop I had in that fight back there. His heart's too weak."

"Shit, shit, shit, shit…." Naruto choked past hot tears.

Was this everything he was capable of? Three years and this was all he could do? Sasuke, and now Gaara. What the hell was the point of it all?

"Relax, Uzumaki…" Chiyo said.

"FUCK YOU! If you hadn't put that thing in him this wouldn't have happened! You were half-hoping we'd fail so you wouldn't have to deal with it anymore!"

"ENOUGH!" Kakashi spoke up. That was enough to make everyone stiffen. Kakashi sighed, looking like he put on a few years. "What's done is done."

"Not yet."

Chiyo had made too many mistakes. But she could correct one. Her palms glowed with chakra, more brilliant and beautiful than anyone had seen. There was no going back. But that was her price to pay.

"What the…?"

"Naruto, I might need your chakra since I don't got enough. Place your hands on top of mine."

Naruto was confused but complied. Uzumaki…now she remembered where she heard that name, she was thrown off because he was blond instead of a redhead. She remembered the tales of that name. And of a red-hot habanero.

XXXXX

_Oh my, it looks like our time is cut short_

Gaara felt those arms release him. What was going on? He thought he heard someone in the distance. But he didn't want to go. It was warm here, it felt good here. He wasn't hated, he wasn't feared, it was safe here. He wanted to stay.

"I-!"

A finger pressed to his lips. And he finally saw who the voice was, a woman with brown hair and the warmest cobalt eyes he had ever seen.

"No matter where you go or how many years may pass, I will always be with you. You _are _loved, not just by me."

"Are you…?"

She said nothing, giving him a kiss on the forehead to his tattoo.

"I love you, my little Gaara. Look, your friend is coming."

That was the first and last time he would ever see her. She faded, leaving him alone, but not for long as he felt a hand on his shoulder. And he saw another pair of blue eyes and a set of whisker marks.

XXXXX

He was in a field now, the stars out. He knew everyone's faces, whether it be the turtle-faced Lee, the milky-eyed Neji, or the foxily-grinning Naruto. They…they came for him?

"Welcome back." Naruto gave a thumbs up.

"I…I'm alive?"

"Yeah, and you have her to thank for it."

Naruto pointed to his pink-haired teammate. In her arms she was cradling an old woman. Gaara had heard all about her. For good and ill.

"Chiyo-baasama…"

"You should thank her when she wakes up."

"Naruto, she's _never_ waking up." Sakura managed to say painfully. "She gave everything she had for Gaara."

He looked to the woman. He knew who she was. He heard all about her from his captain and the elder. Her past as a poison expert, as a soldier, as a puppeteer, everything was known to him. He knew she sealed Shuukaku inside him. She truly did have an infamous reputation. But she was also a doctor who saved many lives and her puppets did much the same to those who learned to wield them. She was a shinobi of Suna, one who served far longer than she needed to.

"Let us pray that she finds happiness in the next life." Gaara bowed his head.


	11. Scroll 10

Scroll Ten: A Gentle Breeze

Shuu had barely managed to guard against the girl's attack back then. Luckily she still didn't get what his trick had been so there was no way she could anticipate him managing to parry it. Sure, the force of the impact still sent him flying and busted a few extra ribs, but it was far better than the alternative.

He thought about this as he lay on the bank of the river he had been blasted to, gazing as the sky went from blue, to orange, to starlit black. He let everything play out, realizing he'd be useless at that point and it was far easier to make the Leaf Nin believe he was dead for the moment. Eventually, he felt the atmosphere become a lot…cheerier.

"Shuu-san!" An orange, spiral-patterned mask with a single hole came into his view.

"I'm not dead, Tobi, I'm just hurt." Shuu said as he stood. He winced, his ribs bothering him. His chest was also cooked worse than yakiniku.

"Man, they musta been really strong to get you! I haven't seen you take a beating that bad since you ticked off Kinki-san! For a second I thought I'd have to get Zetsu-san out here to do cleanup."

"I thank you for not doing so. How are Master Sasori and Deidara?"

"Dead." Tobi showed Sasori's ring in his hand. "Maybe with this I can finally join Akatsuki."

"It's not that easy, Tobi."

"Well, a man can dream. I mean, Sasori-san's gonna be hard to replace."

"Just lead me to where Deidara or his body is."

"Mhfhrm, hm."

Shuu was wondering what that was and was met with a most peculiar sight: an armless Deidara approaching them with the remains of his right arm in his mouth. Shuu would have chuckled, but he didn't need to add insult to injury, though he supposed that the insult was already there.

"So, how was the Jinchuuriki?" Shuu asked. Deidara spat out his arm.

"Screw it, he wasn't worth it, hm. Pain-san better hope someone other than me finds that brat next time because I'll be too tempted to blow him to smithereens, hm."

"Much the same way with me." Shuu pointed to his scorched chest. "If I hadn't been trying to keep that Hyuuga boy alive I could have ended it in an instant."

"Wow, Deidara-san is having a bad day, isn't he?" That earned Tobi a glare from Deidara.

"Tobi, has no one told you the saying 'Buddha only shows his head three times' hm?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well I'm only showin' mine twice today!" Deidara said as he strangled Tobi with his legs. Shuu just walked away to retrieve all the weapons he used that day.

XXXXX

It had been a slow way back to Sunagakure. Nobody was in a rush to get back what with the struggles they had over the past week. Chiyo's funeral had been held the day after they returned and they stayed on a few more days to recover, Kakashi being especially wiped out due to liberal use of his Sharingan. It was the most exhausting mission nearly anyone in the group had been in.

Gaara had spent the last few days recovering. He'd been informed of the details of all the meetings that had been going on, but it whizzed by as so much white noise most of the time. He felt oddly detached after coming so close to death.

"Gaara, it's us." He heard his sister's voice from the door.

Both his siblings arrived, wheeling in a cart full of cuisine. Thankfully it was real food too. Another day of the menu the hospital had and he would have lost his mind. Temari set everything with Kankurou.

"Well, c'mon, it's going to get cold."

It was weird. They'd never been this close when Gaara was little. Even if they had been family, dinner was always a quiet, impersonal affair. Temari, she looked like a mother, scooping rice out of the cooker to give to them.

"Hey, Temari…" Gaara spoke.

"Yeah?"

"What was…Mother like?" His sister stopped mid-bite. Ever since that night with their uncle he'd never talked about her again.

"Well," Temari set aside her chopsticks. "I was really little when she died, but I do remember how sweet she was. I always wanted to be like her, but all she got out of me was an impetuous tomboy."

"Why are you asking, Gaara?" Kankurou set his chopsticks down.

"I…_felt_ her, I _saw_ her. I know I did."

"What? Did you go the other side for a bit?"

"Maybe. For awhile, when I was in the Akatsuki's hands, I felt like I was drifting away from myself."

"What…what did she say?" Kankurou asked, oddly meekly.

"Kazekage-sama!"

Gaara looked out the window of his quarters upon hearing that. In the courtyard below were a group of youths, some of them Gaara's age or a bit younger. He tilted his head, not sure of what to do.

"Hey, you're trespassing!" One of the guards yelled, the youngsters looking to run.

"Halt!"

Gaara's words made everyone stop in place, including the guard who didn't so much as put his foot down, looking like he was stopped mid-frame in a video. Gaara, feeling a lot more limber than before, dropped from the window, landing on a cloud of sand. The youths looked at him nervously, a few of the girls blushing in his presence.

"What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Well…um…uh," A white-haired girl stumbled over her words, fidgeting with something wrapped in a cloth she had.

"It's alright, I'm not angry, just curious."

"Please accept this!"

She handed him the cloth-wrapped package. It was a homemade bentou, a bit sloppy, but he could tell the girl put a lot of effort into it. Another one, a young boy probably around half Gaara's age handed him a little doll. It was made in his image; it even had his tattoo written crudely. They gave him so many gifts; chocolates, cards, drawings, snacks, bentou, flowers, jewelry, clothes, they had given him a lot. All of this, for him, someone who had been thought of as a monster. He gave them a rare smile, making them grin and blush in return.

"Thank you, I'll cherish them. But, next time, I believe there are proper channels. I don't want you getting in trouble."

"Oh, of course, I guess we got a little ahead of ourselves."

The guard escorted the children out, all of them waving farewell to Gaara. He looked at the pile of things he now had to carry.

"Need a little help?" Temari grinned.

"Sure." Gaara said, remembering what his mother had told him

_You_ are_ loved…_

XXXXX

Naruto was in the Sunagakure Memorial Cemetery, standing in front of Chiyo's grave. He felt like an ass after treating her like crap with those outbursts. Now he'd never get a chance to apologize.

"If I known you'd do that, I never would have acted like a brat." He sighed.

"Hey, cut that out." Sakura gave him a jab to the arm. "You weren't wrong, okay?"

"I guess, but I didn't need to blow up at her."

"She was used to it." Temari said with her siblings close behind her. "I remember when I lost it the first time I saw her after Gaara was born. I said I hated her, that I wished she would die, and that I hoped she died alone. You know what she did after that?"

"What?"

"Patted her on the head and said that if Temari wanted to she could keep hitting her until she was satisfied." Kankurou chuckled. "I really wished I could have learned about puppetry from her. She always turned me down."

"Are you headed out already?" Gaara asked Naruto.

"Yeah, we can't stay here forever. Still, Chuunin exams are coming up, maybe we'll see each other soon."

"Oh yeah, you're still behind the curve." Neji grinned, amused that the boy who beat him was still a Genin.

"Hey, I'll get Granny to put me in and I'll set a new damn _record_ for the Chuunin exams."

"I'll be rooting for you."

Gaara extended his hand. Normally Naruto was awkward with this, but Gaara was insisting, his sand tugging at Naruto's arm. He grinned, returning Gaara's handshake.

"We'll see each other again, Naruto."

XXXXX

It had taken three days to get to Suna from Konoha. At this rate it was going to take double that time. Kakashi-sensei was still wiped out from the Sharingan, needing to have Guy lend him a shoulder.

"C'mon, are you guys old or just lazy?" Tenten frowned, her teacher and Kakashi-sensei lagging far behind.

"I told you, we could have stayed on for a few more days. Tsunade-sama wouldn't have minded if it was for your recovery."

"Nah, I need to get more used to fatigue. This stamina issue I have needs to be rectified."

"Do that on your own time."

"Hey, wait, what are you doing?"

"Not holding us up!"

"Gah, watch where you're touching!"

"Oh stop it, we're all adults here. Besides, this is your punishment for not winning the bet."

"I NEVER AGREED TO THAT!"

Reluctantly, the worn-out Kakashi was now being carried piggyback by Guy. Their students had reactions ranging from disgust, to laughter, to Lee clearly having the gears in his head turning. Guy gave them his trademark grin, almost seeing the glint off his teeth.

"See if you can keep up! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Guy became a mere spec on the horizon in seconds, kicking up more sand than a storm could.

"Neji!" Lee was imitating his master, offering his back to Neji.

"No." Neji backed away. Quickly.

"Then I'll go alone!" Lee said, chasing after his master.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at them. It really did feel like they were back to those days of Team Seven. Well, almost. Uzushiogakure…the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools, it was a place Sakura said Orochimaru was interested in. He had to go there. Even if it was just a slim chance, he had to go there. He wasn't going to give up. Like he said to Sakura, you don't make girls cry. He was going to find Sasuke, bring him back kicking and screaming if he had to, and make him beg for forgiveness from Sakura.

_I'm coming, Sasuke_


End file.
